The Rising Storm
by Shinobi of the Onyx Sands
Summary: A storm is brewing and it is up to Cloud and the rest to handle this last fight together. Everyone must fight even people who haven't before. The time has come to end all ties to the past and face the future. Rated for yuri, violence and language.
1. Chapter 1: Return

Edge is a bit calmer now. Three years had passed since they had last seen Sephiroth. Tifa stood at the kitchen sink inside Strife Delivery Service's home building. She was washing dishes and Barret's adopted child Marlene was helping her work on the small pile of dishes that had grown steadily over the past few days. Tifa hummed quietly to herself and now and again looked outside to watch cloud teaching Denzel how to fight with the sword Cloud has named Tsuragi. As she clearly saw, Tifa could tell that it was a bit much for Denzel at this point but he would soon grow used to the weight of Cloud's giant blade. Her thoughts were broken by Marlene who quietly said, "Tifa, can I ask you something?"

Tifa looked at Marlene with a bit of a surprised look and then said, "Sure, what is it Marlene?"

Marlene seemed to think about her question as a one of her more thoughtful looks crossed her face before she asked her question. "Why do you and Cloud never talk about her?"

Tifa knew who Marlene was talking about even though the girl hadn't said her name. It was still a bit of a sensitive subject with her even after all this time. Tifa had kind of been expecting this but right now she felt like she was going to be at a bit of a loss as to what to say. Tifa sighed loudly and said, "I guess Cloud and I don't talk about her much because we both cared about her so much. We lost one of our greatest friends but Cloud seems to think she might not be as gone as we think. It's just so confusing, losing someone and then hearing there might be a possibility that they would come back. It's like it was with Sephiroth, although that we didn't wish for by any means."

Marlene weighed what Tifa said in her mind and heart and then said, "If I had been older back then and been with you guys, I would have fought Sephiroth with you." Her voice had the gravity of all seriousness in it when she spoke.

Tifa was taken aback by this statement. Surely Marlene had seen what Sephiroth was capable of in the past. "Marlene Wallace, I'm very sure you would but please don't say such things. Barret would kill us for letting you fight."

Upon hearing her full name, Marlene knew that discretion was going to be the better part of valor and quickly stopped talking about the matter. It took them several more minutes to finish up all the dishes and then Tifa spoke up saying, "Marlene, do you think you could run a delivery for me? I need you to run a package up the street. You remember where that girl with the Moogle doll lives?"

"You mean Rina? Yeah of course I do." Marlene said, letting Tifa know the girl's name as it was obvious Tifa had forgotten it.

"Well the store that is getting this is right next to her house. Be a good girl and run that package on the table up there for me." Tifa said with a smile.

Marlene assented to her orders by nodding and she grabbed the package and left the shop.

Cloud and Denzel walked in as Marlene left. Cloud looked at Tifa and smiled one of his rare smiles and Denzel asked, "Where's Marlene going?"

"Oh just up the road to do a delivery for me. Reno wanted me to drop it off at that shop for him." Tifa said as she sat down and relaxed a bit.

Cloud's Mako colored eyes stared at Tifa and he asked, "You sure that's a good idea? You know what our history with the Turks has been like in the past. I don't need Reno calling in favors to us all the time."

"I'm doing this because Reno is paying us, not because we owe him anything. I'm just as aware about our history with the Turks as you are Cloud." Tifa said her tone slightly cold.

"Yeah well, I just don't trust them, that's all." Cloud said, his voice flat. "You hear from anyone lately? The only one who has been in touch with me on a constant basis is Barret and he said he hasn't heard from Vincent, Yuffie or Cid in a while. Red XIII and Cait Sith both seem to have disappeared from our radar too, but then again a Turk controls that cat. Reeve is as elusive as is his cat."

"The only person I've heard from is Yuffie. She seems to be holed up in Wutai. By the sounds of it she's trying to find someone who'll love her for who she is." Tifa said, some of her natural warmth sinking back into her tone.

Cloud looked at Tifa a bit darkly and said in his normal passive voice, "That girl doesn't need anything like that."

"It's not for you to say that Cloud." Tifa said instantly.

"I don't care if it is or not. I'm just stating my opinion Tifa." Cloud shot back.

"Well your opinion is stubborn and pigheaded. You think that the whole world is a dark and evil place. Move past what's in your past Cloud." Tifa said gently knowing this was going to be a touchy subject.

"I'm leaving. I'm not sitting here and listening to this all over again." Cloud said as he got up, picking up his sword off the wall where he had propped it. "Vincent called me today. Says that something's stirring again. He also said that he might be coming back again." He said with his back turned as he walked out of the house.

A chill ran down Tifa's spine as she thought about what Cloud had just said. It wasn't Vincent he had been talking about coming back. It was something much darker.

Elsewhere in Gaia, Vincent Valentine was staring at the crystal the object of his love has encased herself in. He was still working out how to get her back but he might as well give up on it if he hadn't found an answer by now. The conversation with Cloud had been short. Just a mention that something was stirring again, that Sephiroth might be coming back once more. Vincent was still getting used to carrying the phone Tifa had bought him at the end of their long fight with Kadaj and his gang. Still it let him tell Cloud about his findings. Knowing that Weiss and Nero had been planning to bring back Project G just two years prior had given Vincent enough reason to look into the matter of Sephiroth once more. Genesis could be easily handled but Sephiroth was something Cloud had to deal with. If the both of them had returned Vincent knew that the world was going to be in far more trouble than just Cloud could handle. He spoke to empty air and to Lucrecia who wouldn't hear him anyway. "I guess it's time to get everyone back together again. This fight is going to take all of us working together once more." He put his hand on his gun, Cerberus, and looked at Lucrecia once more before leaving the cave. As he left he got out his phone once more and started to call those he knew they would need to help them.

Farther south in Wutai Village, Cid was getting bored waiting around for Yuffie all day. His cigarette burned slowly in his mouth as he took a drag on it. Yuffie had told him that she was only going to be a short while at her place, that she was meeting someone here. That had been over two hours and twenty cigarettes ago. Cid always thought he had a decently long enough temper but Yuffie had stretched it too far this time. He swore loudly as he said to himself, "Damn it Yuffie. Why in hell do I gotta come down there and drag your ass out? You're wasting my time girl." He let himself into Yuffie's house and went to go grab her.

The downstairs of Yuffie's House was a mess. It was her room after all. The only things out of place in the messy room were the two sets of girl's clothes that lay spread out across the room. One set was Yuffie's and the other belonged to the girl who was currently on top of Yuffie passionately kissing her. That wasn't all that was going on between the two of them either. Yuffie's hands were on the girl's toned ass, pulling her close and the girl's hands were gently kneading Yuffie's breasts. Each time the girl brushed a nipple she gained a gentle moan from Yuffie. Yuffie let her hands slide around the girl's hips and in between her legs. The girl gently broke their kiss and looked at Yuffie. "Someone isn't patient I see." She grabbed Yuffie's hands by the wrists and pulled them away saying, "You'll get your turn when I'm done. For now you can settle by letting me pleasure you. Oh and before I forget, my name's Aiko."

Yuffie smiled and lustfully said, "Aiko, if you don't get busy, I'm going to."

Aiko smiled at this and kissed Yuffie once more before trailing a line of kisses down Yuffie's chest. All of this surprised Yuffie. She had simply asked a girl she had met in the materia shop over and all she had wanted to do was ask her out. Instead here she was getting her mind blown by the amount of pleasure this girl was giving her. Yuffie moaned gently as she felt two of Aiko's fingers slide inside of her and start to play around. The sensation of Aiko's tongue on her nipples was almost as intoxicating to Yuffie as the feel of Aiko's fingers playing with all of the most sensitive spots inside of her. Yuffie couldn't think of anything that would feel better until she felt Aiko trail kisses further down her body until she reached Yuffie's now soaked slit. Yuffie at once saw what Aiko was intending to do and spread her legs to invite the girl inside. Aiko didn't need to be told twice and dove in hungrily. Yuffie let out a loud moan as she felt Aiko's tongue playing around inside of her. Yuffie ran her fingers through Aiko's hair and pushed her closer while she arched herself to let Aiko in deeper. Aiko obliged this unspoken desire and it drove Yuffie wild with pleasure. The moans were much louder now as Aiko brought her attention up to Yuffie's clit. Yuffie felt like she was going to break with the feeling rising inside of her. With Aiko flicking her tongue back and forth and gently sucking on Yuffie's clit, it did not take long for Yuffie to finally climax. Yuffie held Aiko closer as she came, a loud moan accompanying it.

Aiko slowly pulled away and licked her lips before kissing Yuffie, sharing the unique taste of the girl. Yuffie smiled and said, "You're next Aiko. I'm sure you'll taste better too."

Aiko smirked as she saw Yuffie waste no time at all getting down to business. Yuffie gently slid a couple of fingers inside of Aiko causing her to gasp in pleasure. Yuffie played with her new lover trying to get Aiko to moan as loudly as she had. She kissed Aiko and immediately slid her tongue down Aiko's body. She made the whole trip down to Aiko's slit without stopping. Yuffie stopped just above Aiko's opening and smiled up at Aiko. Aiko spread her legs open and spoke, panting, "Just get in there already ninja girl. I want you like you wouldn't believe."

Yuffie ran her hands along the inside of Aiko's thighs and said lustfully, "I should just drive you crazy with waiting, but I want you too."

With that Yuffie let her tongue slide inside of Aiko. The taste of the girl was amazing to Yuffie. Aiko's moans grew louder as Yuffie slid her tongue along the slit and then in deeper causing Aiko to arch herself to get Yuffie to go in deeper. Yuffie took her time, licking at every inch of Aiko's soft, wet slit. Yuffie then found Aiko's clit and went straight for it. Aiko moaned even louder, and panting told Yuffie, "Come, on. Faster, harder."

Yuffie obliged her and licked at Aiko's clit with a furious passion. Yuffie nibbled at it and flicked at it with her tongue. Aiko's moans had grown more frantic and louder as Yuffie drove her closer to her climax. Aiko arched suddenly and held Yuffie close as she finally came. Aiko's moan was loud and let Yuffie know just how much her new lover had enjoyed things. The two collapsed on the bed kissing passionately. A knock at the door came a few minutes later with a gruff sounding voice saying, "Yuffie what the hell you doing girl? I've been waiting for two hours now. Come on girl, your dad wanted to see you remember?"

Yuffie sighed and said, "I'll be out in a minute Cid, hold your damn horses."

She dressed quickly and smiled at Aiko who had fallen asleep on her bed. Yuffie left a note for Aiko saying she would be back shortly and went out into the hall and smiled at Cid who was standing there, cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. "I don't want to know what you were up to in there but your dad wanted to see you."

Yuffie groaned inwardly at this but decided to follow Cid to the other end of town. She wanted nothing more than to still be back in her room with Aiko. She walked slowly next to Cid and said, "So have you heard anything from anyone we know lately?"

"Yep. I heard from Vincent earlier, said he's got wind of something nasty kickin' up again. Sounds like we'll be seeing the gang before long." Cid said, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

Yuffie sighed as she knew that meant flying in the airship again. She hated the fact that she got motion sick. It wasn't a proper thing for a ninja to have happen. She knew her father would be angry if he ever learned this fact. Wutai was peaceful but Yuffie could feel a cold wind blow across her face as she walked. It felt like something was in the air that added to what Cid had said that Vincent mentioned.

Just outside of Edge the sound of Cloud's motorcycle Fenrir roared off the walls of the cliffs as he drove though them. He just wanted to drive around and get his mind off of things. At least this time he wasn't plague by the Geostigma, causing him to remember things he wanted forgotten. This time it had been Tifa who had caused him to recall the past and his never ending fight against Sephiroth. He didn't know specifically where he wanted to go as he drove. His mind wandered and he decided to go up to Healin Lodge where he had talked with Rufus Shinra before. If his memory served him well Cloud knew that Barret was in Healin. Maybe talking to Barret about things would get his mind off of the past. He gunned his motorcycle and drove, leaving a trail of dust as the only sign he had been there.

"It is nice to see you here Vincent. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visitation?" said Red XIII as Vincent sat down on the only couch in Red XIII's house.

The wolf like Red XIII sat down on his haunches and stared at Vincent, his fiery tail flickering slightly. Vincent quietly said, "Sephiroth's coming back again. This time though there's something else to complicate things."

"How could things get any more complex than that evil returning to Gaia?" Red XIII said, looking solemn.

Vincent laced his fingers together and said, "Have you ever heard of a Shin-Ra project called 'Project G'?"

Red XIII shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Shin-Ra. "Yes, I have but only in passing. I never knew what the project was though."

"While I was asleep to atone for my sins the project came into full effect. At its core was the person known as Genesis Rhapsodos." Vincent's voice shifted tone slightly. "I know that Weiss and Nero had been planning to revive him. I think they succeeded. If both Genesis and Sephiroth are in this world at the same time, it will take more than just Cloud to deal with the problems this world is going to face."

Red XIII looked at Vincent thoughtfully. His mind thought of the implications behind what Vincent was talking about. He sighed and said, "If what you say is true than it seems like we shall need everyone helping to deal with this. Who besides myself have you told this to?"

Vincent said, "I've told Cloud but haven't told him to gather everyone together. I have told Cid who said he would tell Yuffie. I also talked to Reeve about this and he said he'll send Cait Sith along to help. Barret is next on my list of people to tell. When I'm done that I'll have Cloud send out the general gather order. I'm not sure about this one though. I don't know if we can win this time."

Cloud walked up the steps to Healin lodge minutes after arriving. He had planned on talking to Barret here, hoping to get things off of his mind. Barret stood at the top of the stairs and giving Cloud a big smile said, "Yo, spiky nice to see you. The hell you doing out this way?"

"Arguing with Tifa, that's what has me out this way." Cloud said coldly. "You got a minute?"

"Sure I got a minute, what do you need Cloud?" Barret said, his voice becoming a bit more serious.

"I just want to talk. I need to forget some things for a while." Cloud said not looking directly at Barret.

The two walked into the lodge and found a somewhat comfortable spot to sit. Cloud went to speak when the door to the outside opened once more and Vincent walked in unannounced. "Good, the two of you are here. This saves me a phone call."

Cloud looked at Vincent and said flatly, "What do you want Vincent?"

"I needed to tell you about something." Vincent said.

"Well spit it out Vinnie." Barret said, his tone jovial.

Vincent shot Barret a withering look before saying. "I'll just cut right to the chase then. Sephiroth is coming back and this time he won't be alone. Weiss and Nero brought back Genesis a year ago and Genesis knows that bringing Sephiroth back to help him will make things much harder."

"Genesis?" said Cloud. "I recognize that name."

"Of course you would. Zack defeated him over six years ago. If Sephiroth doesn't kill him outright, Genesis will complicate things." Vincent said.

A ringing sound filled Cloud's ears and he grunted as he held his head. His eyes shifted from their normal light blue to a dark green, the shape of their pupils becoming slits. The sensation was like the Stigma had come back after all this time being rid of it. It hurt enough for Cloud to fall off the couch, writing in pain. He was thankful when he passed out seconds later.

The first thing Cloud heard upon waking up was Barret saying, "The hell was that spiky?"

Cloud caught his breath and painfully said, "He's back. I can feel it. Sephiroth's finally come back and you were right Vincent. He's not alone this time."

(Author's note: Final fantasy is always one of those things that fanfictioning it can be either good or bad. I hope we, yes we, fall into the first category. Unlike everything else I've written this as a collaboration. Now there are a few reasons for this. First of all, so I didn't screw up one of my favorite games of all time by trying to do this all by myself. Second is that working with someone was the only way I wanted to attempt something as far as writing for Final Fantasy 7 goes. The last reason is the other writer is a good, personal friend of mine and probably knows 7 better than I know all of the sequels and prequels to that game. He also set up the whole project and is the one running all the little details as I write. Using what we knew of the games and movie, we've tried to create a continuance of 7. The yuri in here isn't simply just for entertainment. There's a reason for everything here. So, come with us as we once more follow Cloud and the whole gang as they try to save the world once more. Next chapter should be out in about a week. Read and enjoy.)

**Shinobi of the Onyx Sands and Lucian J. Raidijiu **


	2. Chapter 2: Memories

Barret and Vincent stared at Cloud blankly. What he had just told them was beyond anything they had heard. Even though Vincent had known about this, he hadn't expected the return of both Genesis and Sephiroth to be so soon. Cloud stared up at the two of them, his eyes still shifting back and forth from his usual Mako green to the more feral looking eyes that reminded Vincent heavily of Sephiroth's. "Is it the Stigma again?" Vincent asked, his voice devoid of any real discernable emotion.

Cloud looked up at Vincent and could barely say, "No, it's not the Stigma. It feels like Reunion is being called again."

Barret slammed a fist into the table in front of him, destroying it. "Damn it. We have to go through all that shit again huh?"

"Looks like it." Vincent replied coolly as he tried to help Cloud to his feet.

Cloud finally managed to get a hold of himself for a moment and said, "We need to get everyone we can. Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, myself, Red XIII, Cait Sith, and the two of you. I don't want to involve the Turks with this though. I've had enough dealings with Shin-Ra in the past."

Vincent looked like he was weighing what Cloud was saying. "You know, maybe just this once we could trust the Turks. I knew most of them rather well before President Shinra ordered us all killed. Gun, Rod, Katana, Two Guns, Reno, Rude, Tseng, Cissnei, everyone I worked with, they were all good people Cloud. You should learn to trust those of the Turks that are still alive."

"Yeah and maybe I should trust Sephiroth not to kill me." Cloud said tersely as he got up to leave.

Vincent stared pointedly at Cloud and said, "You need to let go of the past. I'm not saying you need to forgive Shin-Ra. "I'm just saying that not everyone that worked for them was evil."

"I don't need this. I'm leaving." Cloud said sharply as he opened the door.

Without turning around he said, "Have everyone meet at Strife Delivery Services in Edge. This time we're gonna end it with Sephiroth."

Cloud shut the door loudly behind him and Barret looked at the shut door with a shocked look on his face. He spoke mostly to himself but Barret also directed his question at Vincent. "The hell is Spiky's problem?"

Vincent spoke as he too left Healand lodge. "He's got a lot of things in his past he still hasn't forgiven himself for. He's trying to deal with his sins all on his own again. You heard where we're going to meet. I'll see you there in a couple of days. We might have to include Denzel and Marlene in this Barret. I don't think just the old team is going to be enough."

Barret stood up and yelled at Vincent, "Like hell we're including Marlene in this mess. Vincent, she's still a kid."

"So was Yuffie and Cloud back when this all started." Vincent replied smoothly.

"Damn it Vincent, this ain't no game! We're talking about Sephiroth here. Denzel's old enough sure, but even I can tell you Tifa will be against it." Barret said, hoping to try and sway Vincent from his idea.

"I'm going to suggest this idea when everyone has gathered. It may not even be up to us as to say who does and doesn't come with us. This isn't just Sephiroth anymore." Vincent said, his voice cold.

Barret sighed and said, "Looks like we're saving the planet again."

Over in Wutai, Yuffie was standing in front of her father with Cid leaning on a wall behind her. The argument they had been having was over something small. Godo was trying his hardest not to yell as he spoke. "Yuffie, I just can't see why you haven't found anyone yet. You should easily be able to find a normal guy here in Wutai."

"I have found someone father, I just don't know what you would say about my choice." Yuffie said, looking at her feet as she spoke.

Godo smiled and gently said, "I'm sure that your choice is a good one regardless of who it is. I just needed know this now so that you can take up being the leader of Wutai."

Yuffie was surprised by this a little. She had been expecting something like this but with the news she had just heard from Vincent she knew that Godo would need to continue leading the village for just a little while longer. She smiled and told Godo who her choice had been. "My choice of person that I want to spend my life with, is the girl currently asleep in my room. Her name is Aiko."

This news took Godo completely by surprise but he managed to take it in his stride. After all, Yuffie had been a strange girl for many years. He smiled slightly and said, "This surprises me Yuffie, but I can say that I will approve of this. You are to take up leading Wutai in three days as it is my wish to step down and lead a more peaceful life in my old age."

"I can't do that right now." Yuffie said boldly.

"Why in Gaia not?" Godo said, his anger flowing back into his voice.

"Because Cloud and the gang need me again. Sephiroth's returning and we need to stop him once again." Yuffie said.

Godo looked at her and said, "Until your return then. When you step foot back in Wutai you will be the leader of this town."

Yuffie thanked her father and left. Cid followed her back over to her house where Yuffie went to tell Aiko the news. Cid heard his cell phone ring and he answered it. Immediately upon answering it his face went pale. Yuffie returned with Aiko in tow and looking at Cid's expression asked, "What is it Cid?"

Cid took out a fresh cigarette and smoked it right to the filter in one go. He smoked another one to about halfway before saying shakily, "He's back. Vincent wants us to meet the gang up at Cloud's place in Edge. Looks like it's going to be a hell of a fight before it's all over."

Yuffie looked at Aiko sadly and then at Cid who gently shook his head as he finished off several more cigarettes in a row. Yuffie knew that there was no walking away from this. She hugged Aiko and told her to take care of herself while she was gone. With that she followed Cid over to the airship that Cid had left sitting just outside of town.

The stars over Cosmo canyon seemed to tell Red XIII what was coming as he stared up at them from his father's resting place. Vincent slowly walked up behind him. The journey here from Healand had been exhausting but Vincent knew that this was the only way to reach Red XIII. Vincent spoke quietly, "Sephiroth's back. We need you to meet us in Edge. You're welcome to come with me as I travel."

"The stars are something Bugenhagen told me to watch. They somehow seem to show signs of coming catastrophe. The Reunion is being called again, isn't it?"

"That's what Cloud said it felt like." Vincent replied.

"Then I shall accompany you to Edge. This world will need as many people as are willing to help save it as will offer their services. This seems to me that this will be far more difficult than anything we have ever faced before."

Outside of Midgar a crimson cloak flapped in the wind. A similarly colored sword was buried in the ground as the crunching sound of boots approached the now rusting Buster Sword that had once belonged to Zack. A cold voice slowly said, "It seems you really were unable to change things after all. You never found the wings with which you can fly. It was always you that was wrong. I am the only one that can truly change this world and now I have someone who can help me reach this goal without your interference."

"Don't disrespect the dead Genesis. Besides, reminiscing about the past is not the thing we need to do right now. Once Reunion has been called it will draw them all towards us like rats out of hole. I won't hesitate to kill you if for one instant I think you are going to betray me for you own ends." Sephiroth said as he walked up to Genesis.

Sephiroth shot the rusting sword on glance and kicked it out of the ground roughly. "This is a poor attempt at becoming your own person Cloud. I'll haunt you nightmares once again and this time, I won't leave."

On his way back to Edge Cloud felt the pull of Reunion once more, causing him to crash his motorcycle. He slid across the ground for a ways before coming to a stop. Fenrir stopped just a few feet away. Cloud groaned and got up after the torturous pain passed. "Looks like you're not strong enough to do this one on your own, Cloud."

The voice had come from nowhere and yet Cloud could recognize it. It belonged to Zack Fair. "I don't need your help." Cloud said defiantly to empty space.

"Oh? You needed it last time. Although that was Aerith's doing." The voice became a solid looking apparition.

Zack leaned against a rock and continued, "You know, even though this is just temporary and I'm not really here, what's left of me in the Lifestream is. This fight with Genesis and Sephiroth is more than any one person could handle. Aerith wanted me to say that the effect of Reunion being called again is going to be hard on the planet. What's more is that it can't be stopped without killing Sephiroth."

"Yeah but I can't kill him it seems." Cloud said dejectedly as he finished picking himself up off the ground.

"You need to let go of the darkness in your heart Cloud. You need to let go of your past and forgive yourself. Do that and killing Sephiroth will be more than within your grasp." Zack said smiling slightly.

"But, what if I can't forgive myself?" Cloud said, staring at the ground.

"Just think about it and you'll find a way." Zack said as his apparition returned to the Lifestream. "Aerith said you could if you really tried."

Cloud stared at where Zack had been and all of the memories from the past came flooding back to him. The last thing he recalled and the one thing he really never found himself able to forgive was seeing Zack die and being given Buster Sword. Cloud slumped to the ground under the weight of his memories and let out a scream. It was a scream identical to the one he had let out when Zack had died. It echoed off the cliffs surrounding him and Cloud knew that is was going to be a long time before he would be able to forgive himself.

Tifa sat on the small couch in the house, wondering to herself what was going to happen. She couldn't believe that this was happening again. She wanted to break down and cry from frustration. Even though she had told Cloud how she had felt it always seemed like he was still dealing with the past and couldn't reciprocate her feelings. Denzel looked at Tifa and gently said, "Don't worry about Cloud. He always comes home. I'm sure that whatever happens, we'll still be together."

Tifa smiled at what Denzel had said. Denzel spoke once more saying, "You really love him don't you?"

"More than he realizes. I just wish that he would move on from his past." Tifa said, tears in her eyes as she spoke.

"Maybe all Cloud needs to do is forgive his past." Marlene said from nearby.

"She's right. Cloud has a lot of things in his past he hasn't forgiven himself for." Vincent said from the nearby doorway.

Tifa was surprised to see Vincent and even more surprised when Red XIII walked around the corner. Red XIII spoke, his tone even and calm, "We shall continue to support him like we always have in the past."

"Yeah and if the idiot doesn't get his act straight, we'll straighten it for him." Cid said as he walked in.

"Yeah and if that doesn't work then we'll just do what we always do and knock some sense into him." Yuffie said brightly.

"The wee lassie is right. That rogue will either straighten himself out or we'll do it for him. We're just here to help him along the way." Cait Sith said as he jumped up onto Red XIII's back.

Tifa cried at the sight of everyone seeming like they had just appeared. It made her happy to know that everyone wanted the same thing. Cloud walked in and the room fell quiet as he looked rather beat up from his crash. He spoke quietly and said, "Thank you, everyone. It's good to know I'm not alone. Zack told me something that I didn't want to listen to before but for some reason, when he talked about it I wanted to listen. It's going to take me a while but I'll forgive myself and leave my past in the past."

Tifa got up and ran over to Cloud and gave him a big hug. She was crying as she hugged him tightly.

Meanwhile in a bar in Edge, Reno was getting drunk and hitting on all the cute girls that walked by. It wasn't like he was purposefully ignoring Elena who had come with him but he just wanted to forget what Tseng had said Reeve had brought to his attention. Tseng had assigned Reno and Elena to this mission and told them to go talk to Cloud and try to let them help.

Reno words were slurred slightly as he smiled at Elena, "Hey 'Laney when we get back from talking to Cloud. Aw hell, screw it I'll tell ya now. 'Laney I like you."

"That's the alcohol talking Reno." Elena said, slowly taking a sip of her drink.

Reno smiled ignoring the comment. "Nah, it's not the alcohol 'Laney. I'm not even drunk yet. I really do like you."

"You're saying that because I remind you of Gun." Elena said, forgetting this was a sore subject with Reno.

Reno seemed to become lucid at the mention of Gun's name. "Don't say that Elena. You're completely different from her."

"I guess then you'll have to show me just how much you like me." Elena said, her normal inhibitions slightly gone because of her drink.

Reno smiled at this and said, "Fine then, when we get back to our room I'll show ya. It's going to be one crazy night 'Laney."

Elena smiled and Reno leaned over and gave her a kiss before the two got up to walk out of the bar. The whole reason Reno had stopped here had been to tell Elena what he had and also to try to forget the nightmare of his past.

As Cloud and Tifa finished their hug a cocky voice came from the entrance. "Hey Cloud, good to see you finally got Tifa."

Cloud stared at the fire red haired Reno who had just walked in accompanied by Elena. Cloud then shot a look at Vincent and Cait Sith. "I thought I said I didn't want the Turks involved this time."

"Oh come on Cloud. You know you need us and love having us around." Reno said sweetly.

"Not happening." Cloud said pointedly.

Elena spoke interrupting whatever Reno had been planning to say. "We're not here for Shin-Ra. We're here because Tseng wanted us to help stop Genesis. Shin-Ra doesn't even know we're here right now. Tseng has us listed as being off on vacation. Reeve said that you were going to need all the help you could get. I know just the two of us isn't much but it was all Tseng could spare. Please Cloud, let us help."

"What makes you think I trust you enough to let you?" Cloud said coldly.

"We really owe you one from the last time. You helped us with both the last return of Sephiroth and the whole mess with Deep Ground." Elena said, hoping she could win Cloud over.

"That was mostly Vincent that helped you guys with Deep Ground. You guys don't owe me anything." Cloud said, his voice flat.

"Cloud, you're going to need us. Tseng won't let us come back until we've accomplished our mission which is to help you." Elena said in a pleading tone.

"Fine. You can help me by staying out of my way." Cloud said sharply.

He didn't want to deal with Shin-Ra or the Turks anymore and this whole thing was just pissing him off. Reno walked over and grabbed Cloud by his shirt and lifted him up off the ground and yelled, "The hell is wrong with you? We're offering to help you of our own free will damn it! You need to stop acting so damn superior and let us help!"

Cloud looked at Reno and said coldly, "I don't need help from traitors and those who kill their own."

Reno was furious now. "You don't know a damn thing about the Turks! Shin-Ra was the one who ordered us killed! They killed my lover and kid you insensitive bastard! It's the hardest thing in the world for me to keep going day in and day out knowing that and you have the balls to call me a traitor. You have no idea how hard it is to still call myself a Turk. Fine, screw you then. You obviously don't want our help." He dropped Cloud roughly and said, "Let's go 'Laney. This idiot is too blind to notice what's in front of him."

Reno kicked the front door open and was about to leave before Cloud quietly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Shin-Ra really does seem to be the one responsible for this whole mess. If you really want to do this of your own will and not because Shin-Ra ordered you to then I'll gladly accept your help."

Reno turned around and slowly walked back inside. Elena put a hand on Reno's shoulder and said, "We're glad that you're willing to let us help. Reno was right about the past of the Turks. My older sister was one of the ones killed. We all had friends and loved ones inside the Turks and now only Reno, Rude, Tseng and I are left. Our past is dark, just like yours. We can help you learn how to get past everything you can't forgive yourself for."

Cloud warmed up slightly to the two Turks and let them inside. The plans were slowly getting underway as everyone sat down. The tension in the room still hadn't left but it was something that would take time. Tifa hoped to herself that they would come out of this alive.

(Author's note: For those of you who never saw and/or played Before Crisis, Gun was Reno's wife and Elena's older sister. Elena really is the spitting image of her sister. The Turks is its own massive ball of wax. Only the surface and little inside will ever get seen, just like it's always been. The Reunion being called again brings back yet more bad memories for Cloud. Next chapter in about a week. Read and enjoy)

**Shinobi of the Onyx Sands and Lucian Raidijiu**


	3. Chapter 3:Gathering

Vincent spoke after the short argument between Cloud and Reno had silenced. "You all know why you were called here so I'm not going to waste any time in getting to the point. Sephiroth has come back and he's not alone. Genesis Rhapsodos has also been revived and has joined Sephiroth. Cloud here has said that Reunion has been called as well. Everyone here excepting Marlene and Denzel know exactly what Reunion is. Speaking of those two, we're going to need them to join us. I know that I'm going to hear arguments about this both ways so just hear me out before you jump at me. We need everyone who's able and willing to fight and I'm sure they both are. They're old enough to help this time around. We have to remember we were all kids once too."

Reno spoke up. "I say let them join us. If things get too out of hand count on me and 'Laney to get them out of trouble. We're pretty dependable on getting people out of harm's way."

Elena added to what Reno had said, "We'll protect them with our lives if it comes to that. We all know what the loss of someone you love feels like and we don't want that experience ever again."

Everyone nodded and Denzel spoke quietly, his eyes staring at the ground. "We're willing to join you guys and help fight."

Marlene nodded, letting Denzel speak for her. The whole room seemed to be weighed down with the gravity of what was being said. It seemed to weigh most heavily on Cloud as he sat, hands in his lap and head hung. "We have to accept that there might be a chance that some of us might not come back from this fight. From what I've felt and what Vincent has said, this fight might be greater than anything we've ever handled."

Red XIII paced slowly forward so that he could see everyone as he spoke. "This is something I know that everyone here is more than willing to accept as risk. We've all put our lives on the line before and walked away. We are all strong fighters here. We will find a way to survive this."

Reno casually put his arm around Elena's shoulder and said, "There's nothing to really worry about. Like the red lion thing said, we're all not too terribly worried about dying."

Red XIII shot Reno a glare and said, "My name is Nanaki, or Red XIII if you prefer. I am not called 'the red lion thing'."

Reno apologized and thanked Red XIII for the information. Barret spoke up and said, "Well the whole damn thing is pointless if Spiky doesn't forgive himself. We can't really make a move until then can we?"

Vincent immediately replied, "Yes we can. We can prepare ourselves and we can also work on finding something for Denzel and Marlene to fight with. There are many things we need to do that are directly involved with the fight that do not require us actually fighting them."

Cloud spoke quietly, his voice causing the room to fill with an almost icy silence. "If any of you happen to come across either Genesis or Sephiroth before we're ready to fight, run and get in touch with one of us as fast as you can. If it does come down to a fight then give it everything you have. One of the first things on our order of stuff to get is a phone for everyone. Contacting each other is going to be important when we split up to go after what we need."

Everyone agreed with this and those that already had phones exchanged numbers. Red XIII was the only one there who wouldn't need one as Cait Sith would keep him up to date with what was going on. Cloud then split the whole group into smaller groups of two. He would take Tifa, Barret would go with Vincent, Red XIII would go with Cait Sith, Cid would go with Yuffie, Reno would go with Elena and Marlene would go with Denzel.

Everyone knew where they needed to go and what to get. Cloud looked at Tifa and said, "You and I are going to Nibelheim. I think if I go there, things will be easier. I'm still not sure I can forgive myself."

"I'll be there for you Cloud. You'll find a way." Tifa said as the two headed for Cloud's motorcycle.

Yuffie stopped Cid as they walked out of the house and said, "Do you think what I said to my father was honest?"

"If ya hadn't been honest I think your pa would've known. I think the only reason he accepted your decision to be with that girl is only because he could see that you were genuine about the whole matter." Cid said, his philosophical tone not fitting him.

Red XIII and Cait Sith left the house and headed to where Reeve was without much talking. They knew that what reeve had for information on Genesis would be valuable to the group if they hoped to succeed against a foe no one had fought in over six years.

Barret asked Vincent one question as they left. "Where're we heading Vinnie?"

Vincent answered in his usual tone but for some reason it sent a chill down Barret's spine. "To Banora Village, or rather what's left of it. We may find something on Genesis there as that's where he died the first time."

Marlene and Denzel worked their way through the streets of Edge to the nearest weapons shop. Their main mission before the battle was to train and become more able to help Cloud and the gang in the coming fight. Marlene spoke to Denzel as they walked through town. "Are you really sure you want to help them? You could lose your life Denzel."

Denzel stopped and turned to face Marlene. He smiled and said, "I owe them my life for last time when Kadaj's gang took a hold of me. Cloud healed me from the Stigma. I want to repay the favor. It's nice to know you care about me Marlene."

Marlene blushed furiously and said, "I never said I cared about you. Well not in so many words. You're right though. I do care for you."

Denzel smiled and the two worked their way through the crowd toward the shop.

Reno and Elena were the last to leave Cloud's house. Reno turned and smiled at Elena as they walked over to where they would be spending the next few days. "Well 'Laney, it looks like this is going to be a lot wilder than we thought." He smirked devilishly and continued, "You still up for me trying to prove what I said in the bar was true?"

Elena blushed at this. It was beyond her how Reno had been able to so easily work his way into her heart and she knew even now that what he had said at the bar was true. After hearing him yell at Cloud how could she not believe him? It wasn't his own honor that Reno had been defending, it was hers as well. She returned Reno's smile and said, "Of course I am." She paused for a second and then said, "You surprised me back there, sticking up for the both of us like that."

Reno shrugged and nonchalantly said, "Nah that was nothing. Cloud offended both of us with what he said. If it had only been me I would have been able to take it but I couldn't stand to see him attack your honor like that."

Elena smiled and knew that she was right about Reno. He really did care about her.

The journey to Nibelheim took Cloud a Tifa the better part of a day and a half. Most of the trip had been spent in complete silence, the only thing filling the silence around them was the hum of Cloud's motorcycle. Tifa silently wondered to herself if Cloud really would be able to forgive himself. It seemed like everything depended on this one thing. As she held on to Cloud's waist as they rode she spoke as they came to a stop just outside of Gongaga Village. "Cloud, will this really work? Can we really beat Sephiroth and Genesis?"

"I don't know. I just know we have to. It's not a question of whether or not we can. It's something we have to do. We can't really avoid it either. If I can't forgive myself then this will just repeat once again. Zack made it sound like Sephiroth is tied to the darkness in my heart and if I get rid of that we'll be able to finally be rid of him." Cloud said as he stared up at the passing clouds in the sky.

Tifa sighed. Her worries weren't gone. She knew that this was the answer she had been expecting of Cloud. It was a non-answer that Cloud had a habit of giving. Part of Tifa wanted to just yell at Cloud and tell him he was being stubborn and an idiot for not dealing with this sooner. The other part of her wanted to tell Cloud everything, how much she loved him and wanted him to just be happy for once in his life. Tifa decided that just being there for Cloud was the only thing she could do right now. Cloud collapsed once again from the call of Reunion. Tifa was immediately right beside him, helpless as Sephiroth's call raced through Cloud. The effects of Reunion were far worse now than they ever had been in the past. Tifa knew that Cloud was still the only person on the planet that still had ties to Sephiroth and that the call of Reunion would be focused on him alone. Cloud suddenly stood up. Tifa noticed his eye looked eerily like Sephiroth's as he stared at her.

She barely had time to react as Tsuragi was drawn and swung with blinding speed. She jumped and rolled sideways as the sword continued its deadly arc and then changed direction to come after her. Tifa knew that Reunion had the power to control others and it had taken Cloud once before. She also knew that her martial arts skills would be the only thing that would give her enough to survive Cloud's attack.

She jumped toward Cloud, hoping to get inside of Tsuragi's effective range and almost succeeded before catching a blow to the ribs. The force of the impact sent her flying as a sharp cry left her. Tifa yelled at Cloud as she slowly picked herself up off the ground. "Stop this Cloud! You're attacking your friend! Get a hold of yourself. Stop letting Sephiroth control you!"

She ran toward Cloud once more and this time was successful in getting in close. She did the one thing she could think of at that moment and hugged Cloud tightly. She was crying as she said, "I love you Cloud. Stop this and come back to me. Don't let Sephiroth control your heart."

Tifa's words reached a part of Cloud's heart that was untouched by Sephiroth's control and he returned to his senses. He saw Tifa holding him tightly and he dropped Tsuragi and returned her hug. He spoke quietly as he held her tightly. "I'm sorry Tifa. Reunion seems to be far stronger than we thought. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine you stupid boy." Tifa said, wiping her tears away. "I told you I love you and I mean it. Are you going to stand there and not say anything about how you feel?"

Cloud looked away from Tifa and said, "I'm sorry. I just don't know if I can yet. I'm not saying I don't care for you but I just need some time to think it over. Come on, we need to get you patched up."

Tifa nodded and they slowly made their way into Gongaga Village. Tifa's mind raced with so many thoughts it was confusing her. She had said what was on her heart, so why was she so confused about Cloud's reply? She stopped herself from thinking of what could have happened had she not stopped Cloud. She knew that if she dwelled on that it would drive her crazy with worry about Cloud and what Reunion's call was doing to him. It felt odd to her to be worrying more about Cloud than herself at the moment.

The doctor in Gongaga Village told Tifa that she had a deep cut on her side as well as several broken ribs. Tifa sighed as she knew that she was going to be spending a good portion of the time it took Cloud to work things out recovering from her injury. Still sore and now wrapped in bandages beneath her shirt, Tifa sat down at the bar where Cloud was having a quick drink before they moved on to Nibelheim. The bandages itched and were uncomfortable but Tifa felt much better now than she had before so she put it out of her mind. Cloud looked at her and quietly said, "You going to be alright?"

"Doctor says I should take it easy for a month. We both know the chances of that happening. I'll be fine. I heal quickly anyway." Tifa said, trying to dismiss Cloud's worries.

Cloud drained his glass and the two headed back out of town. Cloud knew that once he was back home things would become much easier. The edge of worry in the back of his mind was steadily growing. There was still one small part of himself that couldn't just simply let go of everything.

Reno and Elena found their hotel room and there was almost no need for them to say anything as Reno kissed Elena as soon as the door closed. She knew her encouraging Reno to pursue what was on his heart might help the two of them both get over their shared pasts. The dark history of the Turks was a large shadow on both of their hearts and now it seemed like there might be a chance that could all go away. Elena pulled gently away from Reno's kiss and led him over to the bed by his loosely tied tie. There was a complete lack of ceremony or foreplay as they both stripped each other. The whole of their clothing was soon just a messy pile on the floor as they settled onto the bed kissing passionately.

Elena spoke in a quiet sensual tone as they broke their kiss. "I want you Reno. I want all of you. I love you."

Reno smiled and said, "Same here 'Laney. I told you I felt this way about you. I think, falling for you was my way to move past some things in my life. I just had to wait for you to return my affection."

"What are you waiting for then?" Elena said mischievously. "Hurry up and get to it or I'll take over."

Reno laughed slightly and said, "Yes ma'am."

Elena let out a small gasp of surprise as Reno slid inside of her. The pleasure and pain that came with this was worth it in her mind. Letting herself love Reno was the only way Elena had come to realize would let her forget some of the past and start living for the future. She arched against Reno and mimicked his rhythm as his paced slowly sped up. It didn't take long for him to finish and Elena moaned gently as she came when he finished. It had just been sex and nothing else and that was all Elena had wanted.

She curled up with Reno afterward and softly said, "Do you think we'll really be able to make it out of this? It seemed like Tseng thought he was sending us on a suicide mission."

Reno held her tightly and said, "I'll be there to protect you. We'll make it out of this. Besides, Tseng wouldn't purposefully send us on a mission he knew we wouldn't be able to survive."

Elena smiled and relaxed but Reno felt like he had lied to her. The worry she had placed in his mind was tearing him apart. Memories from the past came back in fractured words and images. Things like the news of Rod's death came back to his mind. The Turks had been sent on suicide missions before and Shin-Ra had tried to have them all killed. Reno hadn't felt more scared in his entire life than he did laying there next to Elena in that hotel. It was as though his mind was telling him that there really might not be a chance of coming out of this alive.

In the weapons shop just down the road from the hotel where Elena and Reno were, Marlene and Denzel were shopping for weapons. Denzel was looking for something similar to Cloud's Tsuragi but much lighter so that he could actually wield it. He found a sword sitting all by itself and covered in a thick layer of dust. It reminded him heavily of the one Kadaj had carried. He picked it up and shook off the dust. There was something different about this sword than the one Kadaj had once owned. It was still a twin-bladed katana but it was slightly shorter. Denzel noticed a small switch on the hilt and pushed it. Two separate swords fell into his hands, each a perfect mirror of the other. Denzel knew that he could fight with this and immediately went to go show Marlene.

Marlene was in the staffs section of the store while Denzel was looking at his sword. Marlene knew she wasn't built for a sword and didn't have the strength to fight like Tifa so she had settled on the idea of getting a staff. As she walked through the rows of wooden and metal staffs a soft wind blew against her and a staff fell toward her. Inscribed on one end of it was a small script that read, 'Gainsborough'. Marlene stared at it. It was impossible that this staff had once belong to Aerith. Cloud had never mentioned retrieving Aerith's weapon and Marlene knew that if he had Cloud wouldn't have sold it. Still the name clearly read 'Gainsborough'. Marlene pulled it out and looked at the other end of it to see if the first name of the owner was there. To her disappointment it wasn't but Marlene knew that she wanted this particular staff.

The two met in the center of the shop and showed each other their finds before heading up to the shop owner to pay for them with the Gil Cloud had given them. The shop owner looked at the two of them and then at the weapons. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen these in my shop before. Certainly some unique weapons the two of you picked out. You two going out adventuring together?"

Denzel said, "Something like that. How much do we owe you?"

The shop keeper smiled and said, "Four thousand for the lot."

Denzel gladly paid the man who said, "Now you take good care of your girlfriend boy. Those monsters can be pretty tough."

Denzel and Marlene both thanked him as they left the shop. Marlene was blushing from the last comment the shop keeper had said. Now that they had weapons they could join Cloud's fight. Denzel spoke as they walked back to Cloud's house. "Now that we have weapons we can train properly. I'll take care of you Marlene. I'll do just what that shop keeper said."

Marlene smiled and said, "So I'm your girlfriend now, is that what you're saying?"

Denzel looked at her and laughed slightly. "Yeah I guess so. Hopefully your dad won't kill me."

"Oh I won't kill ya. I'll just knock ya senseless." Came Barret's intimidating voice from behind Denzel.

Denzel turned around and went pale. Barret laughed heartily and said, "No I won't really knock you out. Besides I can't think of a better guy for my Marlene. Hell you woulda made Dyne proud of you for what you just said to her. But you ever go back on that promise and I ain't gonna hold back on beating you into the ground."

Denzel nodded. "Don't worry Barret. I'll protect her with my life."

Barret laughed as he followed Vincent out of town. At least he knew he wouldn't have to worry too much about Marlene's safety while he was gone. The idea of going to Banora was scaring him enough without having to worry about Marlene on top of that.

(Author's note: Denzel and Marlene. Second most obvious pairing in the whole set of pairings from 7. Well Advent Children really but you get the point. Elena lets her guard down around Reno briefly for the night. Red XIII tried his hand at humor by correcting Reno. Tifa get injured and many other things happen. Next chapter in about a week. Read and enjoy.)

**Shinobi of the Onyx Sands and Lucian Raidijiu**


	4. Chapter 4: Town

The roar of Cloud's bike filled Tifa's ears as they sped toward Nibelheim. The occasional jostle of movement from the roughness of the road made her wince slightly in pain. She felt miserable. It wasn't her injuries alone that were causing this though. She knew that the incident between her and Cloud when he lost control to the call of Reunion must be tearing Cloud apart inside. She held onto him as tightly as she could as the first sight of Nibelheim came into view. She hoped that Cloud would finally be able to find what he needed here.

Red XIII paced around Reeve's office with Cait Sith atop his back. He stared at the man and said, "What you are saying makes no sense to me. How can we possibly be dealing with something even Shin-Ra's finest couldn't touch? I had known that the team of Sephiroth and Genesis would be strong but I did not for once imagine that the two of them had been responsible for generating much of the war Shin-Ra had with Wutai. This is news to everyone. Even Vincent never mentioned Genesis being formerly of SOLDIER. Not only that but First Class as well. We knew he was powerful but I had already assumed that our main and first priority was the defeat of Sephiroth."

Reeve looked at Red XIII from his chair behind his desk. "I know it's a lot to take in all at once. We would have told you about this when we heard about Genesis being revived by Weiss and Nero but as you well know circumstances prevented that."

Red XIII was a patient soul but even he had his limits of tolerance. "There were months after the battle with Deep Ground that you could have told us about this. Shin-Ra's security policies are the first thing you should ignore when something like this comes to your attention Reeve. You know full well how little everyone involved in this cares about Shin-Ra and its stupid, damnable policies. Ignore what that pup Rufus says about everything and let us know what you know the moment you know it. Don't repeat your past mistakes with us Reeve. I doubt that Cloud will be so forgiving this time. After all, there is no Ancient Temple for you to sacrifice yourself for us this time around."

With that Red XIII left and Cait Sith reprimanded him by saying, "You should learn when ta shut your gob laddie. No friendship is worth losing over something so tiny. Reeve's a braw boyo and he makes mistakes like the rest of us but that does no' excuse ya for being so sharp with him."

Red XIII looked at Cait Sith with one eye and said, "Be glad I have a long temper or you would cease to be for saying that to me. I have my own reason for saying what I did to Reeve. You are also under his control so of course your opinion on this matter will favor Reeve. I am sure that if Cloud were here and had heard what I did that he would have said what I did. Maybe not in so many words but the point would have been the same."

On the airship Cid owned Yuffie felt as sick as a dog. Motion sickness was something she had been trying to get over these past few years but her success had been slight. The only thing on her mind beside not throwing up at that moment was her girlfriend back in Wutai. She wanted nothing more than to go back and get her but she knew Aiko would be as safe as anyone else would be if she stayed where she was. Cid looked at her and said, "You okay there little lady? Looks like this rough weather we're having today isn't agreeing with ya."

Yuffie managed to get a hold of her stomach for a minute and said, "So where are we going exactly? Certainly not Wutai since you know what happens if I step foot in the town."

"Nah we ain't going to Wutai." Said Cid, "We're going to go to good old Rocket Town. Shera's a damn fine cook. That and there's something I need to pick up there."

Yuffie nodded slightly at this news. She found that by focusing her thoughts on Aiko she could ignore her motion sickness and was starting to feel better as they set down in Cid's hometown.

Banora was a shell of what it had once been. The sounds of wind through the tree leaves was all that Barret and Vincent could hear. The ruin that was once Banora village greeted them with cold wind. Vincent looked at it and said, "You can almost still see the village on fire. The ghosts from the past seem to haunt this place."

"Damn freaky that's what it is." Barret said as he rubbed his hands together for warmth.

"That crater over there is where we're going." Vincent said, looking at the greenish glow of the Lifestream that poured out of what was once a building.

"Great. 'Cause we all know how much fun it is to mess around near the Lifestream." Barret said, looking nonplussed at the crater. "It's always a damn crater. Why's it always got to be a damn crater Vinnie?"

Vincent shrugged and walked over toward the light. "According to Tseng, this is where Genesis fell the first time. If there's anything we can use here we should take it. Sephiroth we know how to deal with. As far as I know the only person who has any idea what Genesis can do is Reno as I'm very sure Cloud doesn't remember anything."

The gates to Nibelheim looked like they always have as Tifa looked at them as she and Cloud walked into the small town. This was really home for the both of them. The sounds of the screams and the roar of fire could still be heard though even through the veil of silence that covered the town. Cloud dropped the instant he passed through the gate. Tifa knew that reunion was pulling him in again as she watched him writhe in pain. Thankfully this time he passed out instead of giving into Reunion.

"It's good to see you again, Miss Lockheart."

The cold high voice sent a chill down Tifa's spine. Wind made the black cloak swirl into her view as the voice continued. "The call is stronger than it was last time. It should serve my purpose that this town burn once more. It is the source of such misery for all of us."

Tifa slowly turned around. Sephiroth was standing right behind her, watching her as she stood up from where she had been tending to Cloud. "What are you doing here Sephiroth?" She asked as she tried to keep her voice steady.

"Didn't I just say? I just want to watch the world burn Tifa. I want everything thrown into utter chaos and ruination. I am not here alone either." As he spoke Genesis slowly walked out from behind the water tower in the center of town.

Genesis' crimson cloak and hair offset the look created by Sephiroth's black cloak and silver hair. His voice was higher in pitch and tone than Sephiroth's but had an edge to it that let Tifa know he wasn't anyone she could trust. She looked at him and said sharply, "Who are you? One of Sephiroth's minions?"

Genesis laughed slightly, "Hardly am I a simply minion. The lady will be glad to know my name is Genesis Rhapsodos. You may call me Genesis. You may also stand and watch this town burn for I am not one to get in the way of Sephiroth having his vengeance on the place that made him who he is. It is, after all what will give him the wings with which he can ascend to the heavens."

Tifa shuddered at how Genesis spoke. The way he spoke sounded so poetic and perfect and yet what he was saying was pure evil. A phrase ran through her mind from a book that had described someone as being 'angelic in syntax and demonic in motive.' The thought fit Genesis perfectly. Tifa could tell he truly believed what he was saying as well. She had to figure out what to do and fast. Fighting the two of them she knew would be beyond her as long as she had to protect Cloud but it wasn't like she could move him either.

"Looks like you could use some help Tifa." Came a familiar voice behind her.

Reno strode past her, tapping his EMR on his shoulder as he walked past. Elena was there as well, Guarding the comatose Cloud. Tifa looked at him surprised and said only one thing, "Reno!"

"Hey I owe ya one for saving my ass so many times. Besides, I don't like how pretty boy over there talks. It's been a while, Genesis, Sephiroth." He said as he directed the last line toward Genesis and Sephiroth.

"For someone so cocky and reckless, I'm amazed you're alive Reno." Sephiroth said in a cold tone.

Genesis stared at him and then said, "You're the kid of the Legendary Turk. He used to talk about you and Rod all the time. I hear he went rogue not too long after helping to orchestrate Grimoire Valentine's death. Not to mention practically every Turk alive at the time."

Reno stared at Genesis and said sharply, "Shut the hell up. You're worse scum than even my own father. His past is not mine so don't even try to pass his sins on to me. Get out of this town, now."

Sephiroth summoned Masamune and quietly said, "What will you do if we refuse?"

Reno stared at the long blade of Masamune and then saw Genesis drawing his crimson rapier. He steeled his nerves and thought about what he had to live for. It wasn't much. Right now his main reason for not wanting to kill himself was Elena. He took a breath and said, "Then I will stand and fight you both while Tifa and 'Laney make a run for it with Cloud."

"You have chosen poorly then." Genesis said, "Your path ends here and the feathers of your wings shall be scattered to the winds. You will fall out of the sky and perish in flames."

Reno charged the two of them yelling, "Flames huh? Good! I was gettin' kinda cold!" He swung his EMR at Genesis with a yell, "Toryahh!"

Genesis easily caught the blow but did see Reno's foot burying itself in his ribs. Tifa and Elena made a run for it as Reno went wild on both Genesis and Sephiroth. Reno's mind was racing with thoughts that were mostly him going 'oh shit' to himself whenever one of the two blades he had to dodge got too close. Sephiroth was trying to put Reno in a corner while Genesis flanked him with sword blows and magic. Reno had to more than once use the flat side of Masamune as a place to put his hand to dodge both blades mid-swing. Reno was finally glad for once that he grew up in the slums of Midgar. The first impact surprised him as Genesis caught him square in the chest with his sword. Reno had blocked the blow just in time to save himself from being cut in half but it didn't save him from breaking bone. He laughed slightly and said, "That all you got? Aren't you two supposed to be legends of SOLDIER? You're getting sloppy if I can beat ya. Come at me like you mean it for once."

His taunt got him far more than he knew what to deal with. Genesis jumped back and launched multiple fireballs at Reno and Sephiroth looked like he swung Masamune once, but Reno could see the other twelve hits from that one swing coming his way. His eyes went wide and he simply said, "Oh this is gonna hurt."

The impact from all the blows sent him flying across the town square and through a building. Elena watched in horror as Reno hit the ground behind the building. She turned to face the two former SOLDIER members. All they did was look their way once and then Sephiroth said simply, "Reunion will call him toward us. This fight cannot be avoided for long. We shall await your coming to us."

Genesis didn't even turn around as he said, "When your feathers fall like Reno's did, then shall we truly be able to shroud this world in darkness and gain the wings that will guide us into the heavens."

The two of them vanished from the town square leaving Elena and Tifa all by themselves. Elena looked at Tifa and then ran over to where Reno had landed. When she got there Reno was awake. He looked at her and said, "What're you crying for 'Laney? It'll take more than that to kill me."

As Elena cried she gently hugged Reno and then helped him off the ground. She had to carry him as Reno found out he couldn't stand on his own two feet. Elena returned to where she had left Tifa with Cloud and said, "We came here on Tseng's orders. Vincent told us you might need the protection the most. Looks like he was right."

Tifa looked at Elena, her face worried, "Reno's okay right? Everything will be okay...right?"

Elena shook her head slightly. "Reno's alive but he's in bad shape. I can't say if everything will be okay Tifa. We really seem to be in way over our heads here. I'll be happy just being able to walk away from all of this when it finally ends. Besides, I might have a future with this idiot."

Reno laughed weakly and said, "Who're you calling an idiot yo?"

"I'm calling you an idiot Reno. Small wonder Rude calls you Reckless Reno. You could have been killed." Elena said, a smile returning to her face.

"Yeah but I didn't and you're okay. That's all that matters in the end, right Gun?" Reno said as he passed out in Elena's arms.

Elena slowly sank to the ground and put Reno down and cried. It was a nightmare for her to be called by her sister's name in the Turks. It was like reliving her death all over again. It still hurt like it had just happened the day before. Elena hated the fact that she looked so much like Gun, hated the fact that that might really be the reason Reno was falling in love with her. Tifa put a hand on Elena's shoulders and said, "The past is really hard to forget, isn't it? Every time something like this has happened it just drags up a painful past no one wants to relive. I know how hard it's been on Cloud but I can't imagine how hard it has been on you and Reno."

Elena slowly wiped the tears from her face as she said, "I don't think anyone should ever go through what the Turks have. It makes Reno drink and afraid to commit to anything. It makes me afraid to just look in a mirror some days for fear of being reminded of how Gun looked. It's horrible to hear him say her name while looking at me. I know he wasn't aware of what he was saying, but it still hurts. I spent so much of my time trying to be her that when she died, I lost sight of things. I joined the Turks like she did and now I'm even with the same man she had. I might as well _be_ Gun."

"But you're not." Tifa said gently, "You are your own person. Reno knows that and that person is who he sees, not a ghost of the past. You're the kind of person who cares a lot about what happens to others. Cloud might not see that side of the Turks but I do. Come on, we need to get to an inn. We'll get two rooms. One for them so they can heal undisturbed and one for us so we can talk about things. Not just about the past either, but also about everything else."

"That...sounds nice." Elena said with a smile.

Tifa returned the smile and gave Elena a hug before running across the square to the inn to get some help carrying Reno and Cloud. A few short minutes later, Tifa and Elena were settling into the room, both of them were exhausted from the whole day. Tifa looked at Elena and asked her, "Since you're the only one awake you have to help me with this."

As she finished her sentence Tifa took off her shirt and exposed the bandages that were now soaked dark with blood. Elena looked at it surprised and asked, "What happened to you? That's a fairly fresh injury."

Tifa sighed and said, "Cloud lost control of himself to the call Reunion and he attacked me. I didn't dodge in time. That sword of his is really heavy."

Elena got up and helped get the bandages off Tifa's torso. "Do you know where the spare bandages are?"

Tifa nodded and said, "They're in my pack over there by the bed."

Elena went and got them and replaced the old bandage with a new fresh one and patted Tifa gently on her good side saying, "There you go, all fixed. Those broken ribs are healing nicely already, You take a potion or something right after?"

Tifa nodded as she sat down on the bed. "Yeah, the doctor in Gongaga only had one that would help me so the rest has to just take its natural course in healing."

Elena walked over to the small bathroom carrying the pack she had brought with her and disappeared behind the door. She reappeared moments later wearing a loose shirt and pajama bottoms. Tifa laughed at the sight and said, "The way you Turks dress I always thought you slept in your suits. That's an extremely different look for you Elena."

Elena just shook her head and smiled. "Actually, I normally sleep in my underwear but since you're here I thought it would be far more appropriate to at least wear this."

Tifa raised an eyebrow and said, "Who ever said I would have objected?"

Elena blushed bright red and said, "Well...I...just assumed that you would. After all, you have Cloud and all that."

Tifa snorted and said, "Yeah right I have Cloud. He rather bluntly told me he couldn't make up his mind on what his heart was saying. That has been his excuse for a while now. Oh it's not like he doesn't want to be with me or anything like that. He's just not sure he should with all that's going on. All that aside, we're both women here and should be more than comfortable with ourselves to sleep dressed in whatever we want."

Tifa accented her point by undoing and tossing her skirt to the floor as she climbed into bed. Elena laughed slightly at this. She felt a little foolish for assuming anything. Part of her mind also hoped she was wrong about her assumptions of why Reno wanted to be with her. Elena made up her mind after a few minutes and got in the bed the way she was. Tifa rolled over to face Elena and said, "The whole point of that was for you to sleep like you normally do silly girl. Besides, if you and Reno are going to be with us while Cloud sorts out his past and trains then you will have to get used to sharing a bed with me every night as I would rather one of you be with each of us at all times rather than in separate rooms at night. We can't predict how Sephiroth and Genesis are going to act. Off with the pajama pants and shirt Turk."

Elena blushed at the order and slowly complied with it. "If I didn't know better I'd say you swung both ways. Yuffie certainly is sure of herself in settling down with a girl. Cid told me that one."

"Who said I didn't?" Tifa said with a smirk. "Yuffie really is an entertaining girl, especially in bed."

"Wh...what?" Elena said in shock. "Are you serious?"

Tifa moved herself so she straddled Elena. "This serious enough for you?" She said as she bent down and kissed Elena. "Of course...both of us are too tired and probably not in the mood."

Elena thought to herself, 'Surely Tifa is just messing with me. There's just no way she would want me in that way. We barely know each other.'

Elena's thoughts were broken as Tifa moved back to where she had been. A minute or two of silence passed and then Tifa said, "If you ever do want anything like that, just ask."

Elena quietly said, "Anything like what?"

Tifa ran a hand up the inside of Elena's thigh and said, "You know what I mean. Besides, neither of us are really committed. A little fun once in a while never hurt. You just need something to help you relax a bit and not have to worry about everything for a while."

Elena nodded her reply and as she drifted off to sleep thought, 'Maybe she's right about that. Maybe I do just need to take her up on her offer and just relax and allow myself to not worry about everything for a short while. Besides, I might learn something from her I can use with Reno or teach to him.'

The two of them fell asleep a short while later. The road ahead for everyone was going to change and for some it would be a good change and for others the change would be for the worse.

(Author's note: Never piss off Red XII. He says mean things. Cait Sith's Scottish brogue is fun and annoying at the same time. Reno gets the shit beat out of him for being cocky. Reno's fast, but not quite fast enough to keep up with Sephiroth and Genesis. Tifa exposes the fact that she has lesbian tendencies in a rather forward manner. (don't worry there's a reason why.) Next chapter in about a week. Read and enjoy.)

**Shinobi of the Onyx Sands and Lucian Raidijiu**


	5. Chapter 5: Sunrise

Sunrise over Nibelheim had always been one of Tifa's favorite times of day when she had lived here as a young girl. The balcony of the room she was in provided her with a great view of the sun coming up over the lower parts of Mt. Nibel. She leaned against the rail and watched the sun slowly rise. Quiet footsteps behind her warned her of Elena's approach. "It's really beautiful Tifa." Elena said as she yawned slightly.

Tifa turned to look at Elena. The woman was surprisingly pretty out of her Turk uniform. It surprised her though that Elena hadn't been scared off by how she had acted last night. "Which part of it is beautiful? The sunrise by itself or that fact that I'm here watching it?" Tifa said, her tone of voice was calm with an undertone of seductiveness.

Elena blushed slightly and said, "I would have to say that the comment was directed at you standing there in the light of the sunrise. It really did make you look amazing." She paused for a second and walked over to Tifa. "You know, I've been doing some thinking about what you said last night. I just can't. Reno would have to do something stupid to make me leave him right now. I'll keep your feelings in mind though. I have a feeling you'll be the one I turn to if things don't work out."

Tifa smiled and gave Elena a light kiss. "I'll be right here waiting for you if you need me. I've already made my mind up that I don't want to spend the rest of my life waiting for Cloud."

Elena smiled and quietly said, "Thank you Tifa."

Sunrise over Rocket Town looked much the same as it always did as Cid stood outside smoking. He was simply thinking about what he had told Shera when he and Yuffie had shown up at the door. The tip of his cigarette burned with a red that matched some of the darker reds that were in the early sky. Part of him wished that none of this had happened. Then again, he wouldn't have patched things up with Shera had everything _not _happened. A light tap on his shoulder got his attention and he turned to face someone he didn't recognize. The young girl smiled and asked a question quietly in Wutai's native language. Cid stared at her and said, "Yer gonna have to speak in a language I can understand. I never did have the best grasp of whatever it is they speak in Wutai."

The girl stared and politely said, "Sorry, I forget that once outside of Wutai almost no one understands our language. Would you happen to know where a girl named Yuffie Kisaragi is?"

Cid almost dropped his cigarette. "What're you looking for Yuffie for?"

The girl laughed slightly and said, "I'm her girlfriend Aiko silly. I tracked her from Wutai."

Cid really did drop his cigarette this time. "How did ya manage that one?"

"Simple tracking device on Yuffie. Even though she's a far better ninja than I am, I put it somewhere she wouldn't think to look. I put it in her headband." Aiko said with a smile like she had just accomplished some great task.

Cid laughed and said, "Yuffie's inside the house still sleepin' I imagine."

Aiko thanked him and went inside. Yuffie was sleeping, just like Cid had said. Aiko smiled at this and then nudged Yuffie awake. Yuffie was definitely not a morning person. She yawned and sleepily said, "No mommy, I don't want to go train with dad."

Aiko giggled and quietly said, "Wake up Yuffie. I'm not your mother."

Yuffie rubbed at her eyes and then said, "Aiko? What're you doing here?"

"I followed you. I missed you too much to stay in Wutai. I know you told me to stay there but I just didn't want to." Aiko said apologetically.

Yuffie sighed and propped herself up on her elbow. "It's okay Aiko. I just wished you had stayed at home. This whole mess I'm involved with is way too much for you get involved with as well."

Aiko straightened up a bit and said, "I'm willing to help you guys fight. I don't care what the cost is. I know that if I can be there fighting with you I can be sure you're okay instead of sitting at home wondering if you're ever coming home."

Yuffie smiled and said, "We'll talk about this when I'm not half asleep. Come sleep with me."

Aiko giggled and joined Yuffie. When she climbed under the covers she noticed Yuffie wasn't wearing anything and Aiko quickly removed what she was wearing as she cuddled up next to her. Everything would slowly work their way out. For now a good nap was something Aiko really wanted.

Vincent and Barret missed sunrise in Banora as they worked deeper into the caverns. A full day at trying to find their way through the labyrinth and Barret felt like they were no closer to where this whole thing had really started. A chill wind worked its way through the cave with a haunting tone. Barret spoke and said, "Hey Vinnie I ain't liking this shit anymore. Something about this place is evil."

"Oh I wouldn't call it evil. In fact I much prefer to call this place home." Genesis's voice came from where he was sitting on an outcropping of stone ahead of Vincent and Barret.

Vincent immediately had Cerberus drawn and pointed at Genesis. A slim silver blade appeared at his neckline and an even more sinister voice said, "It's been a long time. Vincent Valentine. Barret Wallace."

Vincent had managed to keep him aim and his calm as he coolly replied, "Sephiroth. What brings your ghost here?"

"I simply followed Genesis. Besides, he likes to reminisce and what better way to do that than talk to the son of the man who made our lives possible." Sephiroth said as he slightly lowered Masamune.

Vincent returned Cerberus to its holster and said, "Genesis can't possibly recognize me."

"Oh on the contrary Valentine. I can recognize you. You've changed but in appearance only. The sins of the father weigh heavily on the son." Genesis said as he slowly walked toward Vincent. "Ah yes Grimoire had many sins. Sins for which he never atoned."

"My father's sins are not mine. You also have sins for which you have not atoned for. Even in death you didn't atone for them." Vincent said as an edge of anger crept into his voice.

"Ah struck a chord have I? Is Valentine irked at being compared to his Father? Does he despise the person he became because of that? You should have been the one to fall into darkness for Grimoire's sins." Genesis said in a slightly vicious tone.

Vincent leapt forward and had pressed Cerberus against Genesis's forehead before anyone in the small open space could move. "Give me one very good reason why I should not pull this trigger right now. I am not to blame for the sins of another man."

Genesis remained cool and smiling cruelly said, "You are his progeny are you not? His way of passing on his name to the next generation? Your shoulders started to carry his sins when Grimoire died. You of all should know that was why Lucrecia left you all those years ago. You had too many sins."

The echo of gunfire from Cerberus's triple barrels echoed loudly in the caves. Genesis's still smiling face was pressed against the end of the gun as he laughed and said, "You are truly a fool if you think anything here can lift the past from you. Sephiroth was right. You and Cloud are very similar."

Vincent barely had time to jump backward as Genesis swung a large arc with his crimson bladed rapier. Genesis's eyes glowed as he said, "Sephiroth. Barret. If either of you join this fight I will kill you where you stand. Valentine is mine."

Vincent smiled and said, "This will save Cloud the effort of having to kill you himself."

He leveled Cerberus at Genesis and took careful aim as he quickly shot off three consecutive burst from Cerberus's triple barrels. Genesis laughed and easily deflected the shots. His speed was something Vincent found himself having a hard time keeping up with and he knew that was the only thing that had allowed Genesis to dodge at such close range. Even in this small cave, the man was reduced to nothing more than a crimson blur.

"You'll never redeem yourself in her eyes. The torment of your sins and those of your father will always weigh you down. You are nothing and you shall always be nothing." Genesis said as he assaulted Vincent with a flurry of dancing blows.

Vincent found himself grateful for the gauntlet that covered one of his hands as he parried blows with that and Cerberus. "Maybe I can never get out from under the weight of the sins of the past but at least I'm not bound by them." He said as he returned fire.

"You still have nothing! You are a soulless beast with no purpose to live other than for the sake of a redemption that will never happen! You are nothing and into nothingness I shall send you!" Genesis roared, angered by how Vincent was keeping himself under such control.

Vincent sighed and caught Genesis's blade as it came down. It caught him in the cheek but he stopped it for going any further. He smiled and said, "I am not nothing. I am the son of Grimoire Valentine. I am more than you will ever be. At least I am human."

Genesis's eyes had gone from their normal color to the Mako green Sephiroth's normally were as he roared into Vincent's face. "I shall send you to the farthest end of Hell!"

Vincent's coldly stared into Genesis's eyes and coldly said with firelight in his eyes. "Then I shall take you with me."

The fight ended almost as abruptly as it had begun. Sephiroth had sliced both Genesis's rapier and Vincent's Cerberus cleanly in half with Masamune. Barret had been watching the entire spectacle in awe and had yet to find the nerve to move from where he stood. Sephiroth stared at Genesis and then at Vincent before saying in a cold tone, "This fight ends here. I will not allow such foolishness on your part Genesis."

Genesis dropped the hilt of his sword and charged Sephiroth, bodily picking him up off the ground as he yell, "Why did you stop this fight?! Who in hell gave you the right to stop this?! Answer me or I swear on the Goddess herself I shall kill you!"

Sephiroth spat in Genesis's face and said, "Such tripe. A weakling like you barely comes to the level of the soles of my feet. You let your anger control you. I'm sparing you only because I need you, but do this again and death will be something you are left begging for instead of granted."

Genesis roughly tossed Sephiroth aside and picked up his broken hilt. "This is not over Valentine. The next time we meet it shall be to the death."

Vincent smiled and said, "Good. I hear hell is warm and it is far too cold here."

Sephiroth grabbed Genesis and teleported the both of them out of the cave. A deadly silence filled the air broken only by Barret saying, "Holy shit. The fuck we gotten ourselves into Vinnie?"

Vincent smiled the light of battle still in his eyes. Barret shuddered to see Vincent so alive. He quietly said, "A duel to the death and a fight to remember as we dine inside the Lifestream with Aerith." Vincent's cape swirled around him as he turned as started to walk out of the cave.

Barret stood there a moment longer and quietly said to himself, "This shit is gonna get crazy. I hope Cloud realizes just how hard this fight really will be He's gonna need more than just a little luck to come away from this." He quickly followed after Vincent yelling, "Hey wait up Vinnie!"

Reno woke up in his room feeling like he had tried to drink a bar dry. Everything in his body hurt. All he could remember was Sephiroth and Genesis fighting him and Gun saying everything would be okay as the fight ended. He knew that the last part couldn't be true. Gun had been dead for a long time. There was no way it had been her. Memories of her burned through his mind as he tried to see what could and couldn't be moved.

"Give it up Reno. You're covered head to toe in bandages." Said Cloud who was on the other bed in the room.

Cloud was sitting up and staring out the window. Flashes of the call of Reunion had pulsed through him early that morning making him feel like killing. The call really was getting stronger day by day. Reno turned his head gently to face Cloud, who had his back turned, as he said, "What in hell happened?"

Cloud shrugged slightly and said, "I don't know. I was out cold, lost in the call of Reunion again. You'd have to ask Elena or Tifa."

"What is it between you two?" Reno asked.

"Why is that any of your business?" Cloud said as he turned to face Reno.

"Because it looks like nothing has happened in over three years. You're still the same." Reno said as he carefully tried to sit up.

Cloud stared at Reno and said, "Why do you care? Nothing has happened between me and Tifa. I feel like she's just let everything go."

"Maybe she has. Would it be so terrible if she did?" Reno said.

"I just, don't know anymore. This whole thing has me confused all over again. Nothing makes sense. I'm still so far into the dark that I don't think I'll ever find my way out." Cloud said in a sad tone.

"You'll find a way out. You always do." Tifa said from the doorway where she had been listening.

Elena was with her and looked at Reno who smiled and said, "Hey there 'Laney. It's good to see you're okay."

Elena smiled slightly and quietly said, "It's good to see you awake. You and Cloud had us both worried."

Cloud got up and walked past both Tifa and Elena as he said, "I'm going out to train."

Tifa quietly said, "Your sword is still in the motorcycle if you need it."

Cloud shut the door behind him as he left. Reno looked over at Tifa and after a minute said, "You've let him go haven't you?"

"Of course I did. He needs to train." Tifa said quietly

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was you've finally allowed yourself to move on." Reno said.

"Tifa looked at Reno and sighed."I just felt like I had to. I'm not going to wait forever for someone who can never make up his mind about what he really wants." She turned and opened the door and then said, "I'm going to go keep an eye on Cloud."

Elena nodded and said, "I'll be down shortly to keep an eye on the both of you. You never know if you'll need the extra protection."

Tifa smiled and thanked her before leaving the room. Elena looked at Reno who had lost the smile that had been on his face. He looked away as he said, "I'm sorry Elena. I guess I just can't let the past go well enough to forget it. When I woke up all I could think about was Gun when I should have been thinking about you. You were the one that told me everything would be oaky weren't you?"

Elena sighed and said, "You were the one that said everything would be okay but you were talking to Gun when you said that."

"I kind of had a feeling that it was something like that. I'm sorry Elena, I really am but I know that I'm not ready for this. I thought I was but..."

"The past isn't easily forgotten. I know." Said Elena, a note of sadness in her voice. "I understand though, I really do."

Reno stared out the window and said, "Go check on Cloud and Tifa. I'll be fine here by myself."

Elena slowly left the room and as she shut the door behind her slowly sank to the floor and cried to herself. She had been expecting something like this she just didn't realize how hard it was going to be. The only thing she knew that would help would be going to Tifa. At least she had someone to go to this time. The last time had been even worse since she had had no one to go to that time.

Tifa was sitting on the low hillside watching Cloud work on his sword skills. So many things had changed in such a short time. She had always thought that it would be peaceful after the last fight. Peace never seemed to last for too long around this world. She wondered to herself if it would be permanent after this fight ended.

She turned at the sound of footsteps behind and Elena sat down next to her. Tifa looked at her and could tell she had been crying. "Is everything ok Elena?"

Elena looked at Tifa and quietly said, "I'm taking you up on your offer, or rather I will be. Reno just left me. I'll just need a little while to let it all go."

Tifa gave Elena a gentle hug and said, "Like I said earlier. I'm right here for you when you need me."

Elena smiled and said, "Thank you Tifa. That means a lot to me."

Red XIII had spent his morning carrying around Cait Sith and following Marlene and Denzel like Reeve had asked him. He was stretched out on the ground near Cloud's house in Edge watching Marlene and Denzel train with their weapons. He was a bit surprised at Marlene's control of magic. The small handful of Materia he had given her were being used to their fullest extent right from when he had told her how to use them. He smiled as he remembered how similar she seemed to Aerith.

Denzel was training against Rude who was on loan from Tseng as a way to further keep an eye on the kids. While Rude wasn't accustomed to a weapon, he found that he was able to hold his own against Denzel, even though it was only for a little while. Denzel was quick to learn as Rude constantly gave him small pointers on various things. Denzel soon found that Rude would simply drop his sword and defend himself with his usual fighting style if pressed hard enough. After a while he had convinced Rude to step up his game to the level he had fought Kadaj's gang at.

Red XIII was smiling to himself as he watched. Cait Sith noticed and said, "That young lad is learning right quick. Would no' surprise me if he gets better than Cloud some day."

Red XIII nodded and said, "It is for their future that they fight. Just like we did all those years ago. Their hearts are in the right place. It is for their sake that I hope we win this."

Denzel was smiling slightly as he took a break from training. He looked over at Red XIII and asked, "Have you heard anything from anyone lately? I'm wondering how everyone is."

Red XIII shook his head and said, "No I have not heard anything. I am sure that everyone is just fine."

"Oh you can be assured of that simple fact. Although Reno may be a bit worse for wear."

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw Sephiroth standing there by himself in the small yard. "I am not here to fight. I'm simply here to give you all a warning. Genesis' goals are not mine. I simply want the world to burn into nothing. His goals are much simpler. He just wants you all dead, particularly Vincent Valentine."

Red XIII stared at Sephiroth and asked, "Sephiroth, why are you giving us a warning? It is so unlike you to be so giving."

Sephiroth shrugged and said simply, "Maybe the Goddess decided to show you a little kindness. You can be assured that will not happen twice."

Denzel wanted to jump forward and fight but his feet stayed where they were. Everything about Sephiroth scared him to his core. He wondered if he would ever be able to fight someone whose power he could feel simply by being near him. He finally felt like he could move as Sephiroth vanished. He could feel his palms sweating from the fear he had just experienced. Red XIII quietly said, "He is an imposing individual, isn't he?"

Marlene looked at Red XIII and said, "How can we possibly beat someone that strong? I could feel his power like it was coming off of him in waves."

Red XIII sighed slightly and said, "We will have to believe in Cloud. No one else I know can fight Sephiroth. Well, fight him and win without dying themselves. He's on a completely different level. I still say that if we believe in our own strengths and in our friends we should be able to win this."

"The question is. Who will be left standing when the dust clears?" said Denzel as he went back to practicing.

Red XIII was always amazed at the wisdom children often displayed without realizing it. The answer to that question really would only come when the time was right.

(Author's note: Reno left Elena because he can't totally let go of everything behind him. We find that a happy Vincent is a scary Vincent and Genesis needs anger management once more as it clearly didn't work last time. Denzel and Marlene are catching up with the rest of everyone and Aiko joins the team and waits for Yuffie's approval. Next chapter up within a week or so. Read and Enjoy.)

**Shinobi of the O****nyx Sands and Lucian Raidijiu**


	6. Chapter 6: War

Travelling with Vincent was something Barret was finding out he hated. The man could teleport with magic but the sensation always left Barret dizzy and a little sick. The two had travelled from Banora village to Shin-Ra mansion in Nibelheim. Vincent led Barret through the all too familiar mansion and into the basement. They found the coffin that Vincent had been in when Cloud had originally found him. Vincent wasn't saying much as he pried open the coffin next to his. The outside was shabby looking and old but the inside was still pristine and silk lined with a good sized cherry wood case inside.

"The hell is that Vinnie? You been holding Gil out on us or something?" Barret said, trying to break the silence.

Vincent smiled as he pulled the case out and shut the coffin. He put the box on the coffin and said, "I never thought I would have to use this. I made it once, long ago as a replacement for Cerberus. When I first tried it out, well, let's just say this thing is not a normal gun. Lucrecia helped me make it and we named it Peacemaker."

He opened the box and inside sat a large polished ivory gun. Vincent hefted it to test the weight and still found it to his liking. He aimed down the hallway and said, "Stand behind me Barret. Time to see if it still works after all this time."

Vincent took a breath and fired. There was no loud boom of a normal gun. The gun shot out what looked like an 'X' shaped bolt of lightning accompanied by a loud thunderclap. The kickback from the gun forced Vincent backward a few feet. He smiled and said, "That, my friend is the Peacemaker."

Barret looked down the hallway and could see a large, burning hole at the end of the tunnel that looked as though it was tens of feet deep. He had thought nothing could have surprised him after watching that duel between Genesis and Vincent. He followed after Vincent realizing that, hanging around Vincent, there would always be something more to surprise him.

Elsewhere in Nibelheim, Cloud was ending his day of training. Vincent had called and said he would be in town later in the day. Tifa sat on the grass nearby with Elena leaning against her asleep. Reno was nearby lying out in the sun. Three days had passed since their arrival in town and Reno was finally able to join them outside. Cloud could sense that something was a bit off but he put it out of his mind. A relationship would just hold him back anyway. He had to find something here that would just let him forget everything. He looked over at Tifa and said, "Hey, I'm going back to the inn. Vincent said he was stopping by."

Tifa nodded and said, "Okay. I'll be along shortly."

Reno slowly got up and said, "Duty calls. You know you can't go anywhere alone Cloud. Tifa's rules, Tseng's rules, everybody and their mother's rules. Can't disobey them in case good old Sephiroth comes back."

Cloud turned and walked toward the inn and Reno quickly followed after him.

Tifa nudged Elena lightly and said, "Hey there sexy, time to get up."

Elena yawned and then snapped awake, quickly saying, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep on the job! It was just so comfortable leaning against you and then the sun warmed me up and made me all sleepy."

Tifa laughed lightly and said, "No need to apologize. You looked really cute sleeping like that."

Elena blushed, still unused to the idea of being Tifa's girlfriend. "Th-thank you. I don't often get compliments like that."

Tifa smiled at how bashful Elena was. It was so endearing. "Come on, we've got to back to the inn. Today's practice is over and ended with much the same results as it has for the past two days. Kind of hard to believe all this is happening."

Elena gave Tifa a puzzled look as they walked back to the inn. "What can't you believe? That Sephiroth is trying to destroy everything or that I accepted your invitation to be your girlfriend?"

Tifa smiled and said, "Both, although I kind of had a feeling that Sephiroth would always come back one day. I didn't expect you to take me up on my offer so quickly though. When you told me it might be a while before you allowed yourself to let me in your life I was expecting it to take at least a week."

Elena smiled as they went inside the inn. "Well I'm still not totally over the heartbreak of the whole thing but I didn't want to wait to let you in my life. After all, it has made dealing with things a lot easier."

"I'm glad you've taken this whole thing so well. I just hope that we get out of this whole mess alright." Tifa said as she looked around for Cloud.

Cloud brushed past her on his way out the door saying, "This ends today. I'm not going to wait and try to get rid of my past. Sephiroth crossed a line."

Tifa looked at him confused and said, "What's wrong Cloud?"

"Tseng just called. Genesis captured Marlene and Denzel not more than an hour ago. The only thing Genesis said to anyone was, 'meet me where the sword you once treasured sits.' "The fury in Cloud's voice was barely contained.

"Oh no. Is everyone that was with them okay?" Tifa asked.

Cloud shook his head. "Red XIII was found unconscious and Cait Sith was torn in half. Rude was there and same thing that happened to Reno happened to him."

Reno stared at the ground and cursed loudly. Vincent walked past them all saying, "This is going to be interesting. I can't wait to take that bastard to hell with me."

"Personal grudge, yo?" asked Reno.

"Tearing him in half would barely be enough to atone his sins."

Barret looked at all of them and simply said, "A happy Vincent is a scary thing. He's been like this since he and Genesis got into a fight."

"A fight I am joining." Said an all too familiar voice.

Cloud turned on his heel and had drawn Tsuragi in the blink of an eye. "What are you doing here Sephiroth? Looking to start the fight early?"

"No. I am here to tell you that I am going to join your side long enough to kill Genesis. He's crossed a line that even I wouldn't."

"You would commit mass genocide but you wouldn't stoop to kidnapping? You've got some twisted morals."

"You will still surrender to the call of Reunion. I have the full intention of killing you when this thankless task is done." Sephiroth said in a cold tone.

Cloud was about to attack Sephiroth when Vincent said, "Let him join in the fun Cloud. I could use the company in hell."

"You sound like you intend to die Vincent." Tifa said quietly.

"Would it really matter if I did? I'm not scared of becoming one with the Lifestream. For once in my life I'm finding a path to redemption. I intend to walk it to whatever end." Vincent said as he stared at Sephiroth. "Cross us on this and you will find I too have a dark side I keep hidden from the world."

The color of Vincent's eyes shifted to a blood red and then back to their normal color as Sephiroth waited to hear what the outcome of this would be. Cloud relaxed slightly and said, "I want you to know I still don't trust you."

"I never asked you to trust me. Just help me get rid of a mutual enemy."

"Oh a mutual enemy am I Sephiroth? Since when?" Genesis said from where he had appeared.

"You've crossed a line that no one in SOLDIER would ever have crossed. I'm going to give you...no actually I'm not going to give you anything save my katana in your worthless, cowardly spine. You are lower than dirt Genesis."

"Ha. Ha ah ha aha ha. You can't be serious! I am the one who will transcend humanity and become a winged angel of my own. You're too stupid to realize I have the wings I need to reach the heavens!" Genesis yelled in an off kilter tone.

A pair of black wings shot out from Genesis's back as he continued laughing. The laughing died instantly though as Sephiroth suddenly appeared on the other side of Genesis. "Then all I had to do was take those wings from you and leave you to rot on the ground."

Genesis yelled loudly as pain tore through him as his wings were shredded off his body by the attack Sephiroth had used. Genesis laughed all the more and said, "You think some little thing like this is going to prevent me from attaining my goal? No one can stand in my way, not even you Sephiroth." Genesis pulled a device from his cloak and said, "Make your move. I dare you. Because the instant you do I set this bomb to kill your precious friends."

"They are not my friends and I could care less about what happens. But you are a different matter. You shall cease to be and I won't have to lift a finger." Sephiroth said as he let a smile dance across his face.

"Foolish words from a foolish man. You can't kill me without doing anything." Genesis sneered.

"Who said it was going to be him that killed you?" Said Vincent as he put the fully cocked Peacemaker to the back of Genesis's head.

Genesis whirled and attacked Vincent with a sword that looked a lot like his previous one save for that it was alight with fire. Vincent didn't even dodge the blow as he laughed and said in a dark tone, "Everyone has a dark side and yours is this raving maniac before us."

"Raving maniac am I? What then, pray tell is your dark side?" Genesis said as the two fought back and forth.

Vincent smiled and his eyes turned bright red. "My dark side is Chaos. He is the sin I can never atone for. But thanks to you I have learned how to control the outburst of Chaos better."

Everyone nearby had cleared out the surrounding townsfolk and everyone of the group not in the fight quickly ran out of town. Sephiroth vanished as the maelstrom Vincent was creating kicked up a dust storm. Inside the storm Genesis could be heard laughing as he said, "How pathetic! You've been controlled by Shin-Ra and your father's legacy your entire life and one small thing is not going to help you control a demon. You shall die like the pathetic, weak human being you are!"

Vincent smiled and said, "I shall at least have my honor if I do so."

Outside the duel everyone stood watching Sephiroth who was walking slowly toward them. "You know. I think I'm going to put everything to an end here."

Two shuriken and a spear hit the ground in front of Sephiroth as the Shera made a noisy landing. Yuffie, Cid and Aiko all stood at the top of the Shera's entrance ladder. The three of them jumped out and the Shera left the area quickly as lightning began randomly striking the ground. Cloud wondered who the new addition was but he was glad to see Yuffie and Cid here. Everyone stood at the ready as Sephiroth summoned Masamune from thin air.

"I don't think you're going to be putting an end to anything here Sephiroth. We're all committed to this fight. The only thing that will end here is your existence." Cloud said defiantly as he summoned up the rest of Tsuragi's blades and put them together to form the sword he had used to fight Sephiroth the last time.

"I see you have learned one of my tricks Cloud. Too bad such magic will not help you. The darkness has your heart and I shall have your soul."

"You're not taking anything from Cloud." said Tifa as she took a step forward.

Sephiroth laughed and said, "How can you be in a position to say that when you are the one that let his heart go?"

Tifa felt like charging Sephiroth and punching him in the face. She curled her fingers into her palms and said, "I can say that because, regardless of who I choose to love, Cloud is still my friend."

Sephiroth smiled and vanished from sight only to appear in front of Elena. She went a few feet backward as the impact from Sephiroth's punch registered. Tifa let everything out in a yell as she charged Sephiroth. Fear and anger fueled her as she tried to land a solid hit. Cloud joined the fray to keep Sephiroth's sword occupied and to protect Tifa. Soon enough the fight looked more like a free-for-all as the rest of the group joined in to help Cloud and Tifa.

Sephiroth was enjoying this. Here was combat on a level he hadn't fought at in years and he found himself enjoying it. All the blood, sweat and pulsing hate fueled his drive to fight harder. He was slowly incapacitating members of the fray one by one. Reno, Yuffie, Aiko and Barret had been all been knocked out but not without some difficulty. It had taken Sephiroth over two hours to get it back down to just three people. His focus would first go to Cid as he tried to catch his breath among the onslaught of fist, sword and spear attacks.

Genesis was faring poorly and he knew it. Vincent had let himself dive into the swell of the fight with such abandon that he longer cared about his own safety as he tried to kill him. Panic and fear were driving Genesis to desperation. The only option he saw was to throw his lot in with Sephiroth's fight and hope for the best. The only hitch in his plan was the Vincent was being relentless.

Vincent was letting his bloodlust grow as the fight went past the two and a half hour mark. Various craters from where he had missed with Peacemaker would scar the land forever but his focus was on killing Genesis and nothing else. He fired his gun once more and managed to catch Genesis's sword, shattering the blade right to the hilt. Genesis let out a cry of rage at this and threw as much magic as he could Vincent's way. Vincent aimed at Genesis and closed his eyes as the hailstorm of fire and lightning was about to hit and pulled the trigger.

Sephiroth was breathing hard and felt out of breath as he faced Cloud, Masamune at the ready. The end of this fight was close. The pull of Reunion tugged at his heart and Cloud dropped to his knees in front of him. He slowly walked over to Cloud and took a deep breath before he said, "You never got rid of the darkness, did you? You never found your way to the light. Go join in the Reunion and become one with Jenova again."

Cloud stared up at Sephiroth and said, "You know. I never did get rid of the darkness but you're wrong about me finding the light. I just had to realize. That the light is in the future and not in the past where I was always looking."

Cloud struggled to his feet and leveled Tsuragi at Sephiroth. "I'm ending this fight. You will forever go into the darkness and never come back."

"Bold words from a foolish boy."

"He's not as foolish as you might think, Sephiroth. His heart is in the right place."

Cloud felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Zack's ghost standing there. Zack was staring at Sephiroth who looked surprised.

"You cannot judge him. He has only ever been the shell of what you once were. Now get out of my sight and return to the Lifestream" Sephiroth said in a cold voice.

"Oh I will. Just wanted to tell Cloud that he can win this. You know me. I'm not really the interfering type." Zack said with a smile as his ghost vanished in a green light.

Sephiroth laughed and said to himself, "Not the interfering type Zack Fair? I will love to hear you explain what your life was if it wasn't spent doing just that."

Sephiroth looked at Cloud and spoke once more. "Fight with everything you have. I will expect and give nothing less."

Sparks flew from their swords as they fought. For the first time, Cloud felt like his head was clear and he could feel the flow of the fight. Buildings around Nibelheim were being annihilated one by one as various attacks from Sephiroth and Cloud missed by inches. As they fought the only thing Cloud could hear was a soft voice saying, "You figured it out Cloud. The darkness is always going to be there but the brightest light is in the deepest darkness. You may not see it all the time but it is there."

Cloud smiled as he listened to Aerith's voice from within the Lifestream. A sudden revelation came to him. To get rid of Sephiroth, he would have to take him out of this world and into another. The nagging doubt was that somehow, he would have to follow Sephiroth to wherever he sent him.

Sephiroth broke Cloud's thoughts by saying, "You've figured it out haven't you? Removing me without removing you is impossible. You have to die as well."

Cloud felt a rush of magic encircle him as he said, "No. I don't have to die to remove you. You just...have to see the light."

Sephiroth smiled and readied himself for the oncoming attack. His breath suddenly left him in one gasp as he all of a sudden felt Cloud's sword slam into his chest. He coughed up blood and could actually feel himself start to return to the Lifestream. He smiled as began to vanish. "You know. This is never going to be over. It is just a cycle that will repeat itself until both of us are dead."

"No. It won't repeat ever again. I figured out how to force you into the Lifestream and make you stay there. Aerith showed me the way back into the light."

"Foolish words. I will never fade into the light."

A greenish aura from the Lifestream had engulfed Sephiroth as it slowly pulled him from life once again. Something felt different this time though. There was this sense of finality about being brought into the Lifestream this time. He wondered if he was dreaming when he saw Angeal standing there in the light of the Lifestream. Angeal smiled and said, "Come on home Sephiroth. We've been waiting for you to get here."

Sephiroth finally vanished from Cloud's sword and was gone.

Cloud collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. The fight had taken over four hours and was unlike anything else before. He smiled though as he finally felt like the weight of the world had been taken from his shoulders.

The only thing left on his mind was to see if everyone was okay, especially Vincent.

Rain began to fall as Vincent opened his eyes to stare up at the gray sky. He smiled, happy he was still alive. The ground around him was charred black from Genesis' magic. Genesis. The thought made Vincent sit up immediately and look around for his opponent. Vincent winced in pain as he slowly got to his feet. It took him a minute to walk over to where he had last seen Genesis. Nothing was there save for a crimson colored piece of fabric and Genesis' broken sword.

The sight put Vincent on his guard. He had no idea if Genesis had survived the shot from Peacemaker or not. A sound from behind him made him jump and turn around quickly. A hand was put on his gun and Barret stood there smiling at him. "You did a damn fine job there Vinnie. Shame I wasn't awake to see the whole thing. Sephiroth's punches can really floor ya."

Vincent smiled and noticed that everyone was slowly dusting themselves off. The fight had finally ended.

(Author's note: Massive battle and a conclusion to follow. Genesis' slide into insanity was fast and abrupt but not without cause. Sephiroth is a big liar saying he wasn't here to fight. One more victory for Cloud and the gang but at what cost? Next and final chapter up in about a week.)

**Shinobi of the Onyx Sands & Lucian Raidijiu.**


	7. Chapter 7: Reunion

The dust settled slowly and fires still burned in places as Tifa looked around for Elena. She finally found her amongst the ruins of a house, still unconscious. Tifa cried when she saw her and ran over to her.

"Elena! Oh god please be alright. Come one you need to wake up." Tifa said in a worried tone.

Elena stirred and weakly said, "Hey there sexy. Is everything okay?"

Tifa hugged her and Elena yelped slightly saying, "Be gentle there. I think I broke something. Everything just hurts."

"Sorry. I'm just happy you are alright." Tifa said as tears rolled down her face.

"You must really love me if you're that concerned for me." Elena said with a smile as Tifa gently picked her up.

A minute later Tifa had sat Elena down near what remained of the inn. Tifa smiled and said, "It going to take forever for me to heal after this. Everything opened right back up and I wouldn't be surprised if I broke something too."

Cloud made his way over and looking at the two of them said, "We have to go find Marlene and Denzel. Almost everyone here is in no shape to do that. I'm taking Vincent and Cid. They seem to be the best off out of all of us. I want you two and Barret to keep an eye on the rest of those of us here. Yuffie and that girl that was with her are still out cold. I can't find Reno anywhere. Look for him while we're gone. This should only take us a few hours unless Genesis really went outside the box with where he would hide someone."

Tifa sighed and tried to rest a bit as she watched Cloud gather up Cid and Vincent. Maybe all of this was the reason no one talked about the fights from the past. They just needed to be forgotten and remain part of the past. The conversation she had had with Marlene just over a week ago felt like a lifetime away but at least now Tifa realized what the real answer to Marlene's question was. Barret slowly made his way over and he said, "Tifa you doin' alright? You look like...well damn girl you look like hell to be honest with ya."

Tifa laughed and found it hurt to do so. All of the pain had just hit her in one big wave. She smiled and said, "Yeah I'll be fine Barret. Go look for Reno. He's got to be somewhere around here."

Barret sighed and said, "Well that's what I came to talk to you about."

He held up a pair of broken goggles that had been the ones Reno always wore. "The only other thing we found was that weapon of his. I think Reno's dead."

"I'm not dead yet, yo." Reno said as he snatched his goggles from Barret's hands. "Shame on you for telling these girls lies you big faker. Trying to make them miss me and then surprise them by me still being here. Although I could use a good hospital and one very, very stiff drink."

Everyone tried to avoid laughing at this as much as they could. Reno sat down and leaned against the wall of the inn as they all tried to gather the energy to move. Barret set about trying to get Yuffie awake and managed to do so after a few minutes.

Yuffie felt like she had been dropped off a building. She felt the pain wash over her again and felt like passing out again. She hoped Aiko wasn't as badly hurt. She looked over at Aiko who was slumped against a nearby wall. Panic filled Yuffie as she could tell Aiko wasn't moving. She wanted to go and see if Aiko was okay but the pain kept her from moving. She was crying as she watched Barret check Aiko once and then slowly get up and walk over.

"Yuffie I hate to say this. She's gone." Barret said quietly.

Yuffie let out a loud cry that everyone could hear. It just didn't seem right to her to have Aiko taken from her like this. She didn't want to believe Barret. It just simply couldn't happen.

Her cries tore at everyone's heart. The sense of loss was felt by everyone. Barret tried his best to give what comfort he could to Yuffie. But he knew that the only thing she wanted was her girlfriend back.

An hour later Yuffie was asleep in Elena's lap, having worn herself out from crying. Tifa looked at Elena and said quietly, "It's weird when you think of how this kind of thing affects those around. I can't imagine how much pain she was in both physically and emotionally. This is a price too high to pay for peace. It always has been."

Elena nodded and tried to close her eyes and rest. Dark dreams were preventing anyone from getting a decent bit of sleep. Reno and Barret were off talking about what to do with Aiko's body and Tifa was trying to not pass out.

Reno came running over and said, "Tifa. You wouldn't happen to have a potion handy would you?"

"Yes I do. Why do you need it?" Tifa asked as she dug the potion out from her pocket.

"Barret was wrong about that Aiko kid but we need to get her to help fast or he really will be right." Reno said as he grabbed the bottle and ran off toward Barret.

Tifa smiled to herself but decided to keep the news to herself. After all, if things turned out badly there was no sense in getting Yuffie's hopes up only to have them crushed again.

The Shera flew at a breakneck pace as she was flown by her namesake. Cloud had wondered how Cid had gotten there so fast. So as they flew Cid told Cloud and Vincent about the call from Tseng and how they had known where everyone was.

Cid talked about how Tseng had called him to tell him about a possible attack on Cloud and the rest in Nibelheim and how he had also been told about the capture of Denzel and Marlene. He had heard that Red XIII was fine if a little shook up.

An hour later they arrived where Genesis had originally told them to meet him. The Shera landed and the three of them got out, hoping that Denzel and Marlene would be safe and that nothing had happened to them.

Cloud's reflexes saved his life as a sword flashed inches from his face. He drew Tsuragi and immediately went into a defensive stance. Noticing who it was attacking he yelled out, "Denzel! Stop attacking! It's me, Cloud!"

"Liar! You're responsible for me losing Marlene!" Denzel yelled back as he continued attacking.

Cloud didn't want to strike back as he tried to reason with Denzel and defend himself at the same time. "I didn't do anything to Marlene. I'm not the one you want to kill. Genesis is and he's already dead. Don't make me fight back to get you to quit."

Denzel was unrelenting as he got up into Cloud's face, his eyes a bright hauntingly familiar green. His voice sharply changed as he said, "Fight back then. I'm not going to stop until I have her back."

A cold shiver went down Cloud's spine as he stared into Denzel's eyes. A hefty kick sent Cloud backward with surprising force. Denzel really had become a fighter worth his weight in a battle but Cloud was unsure if it was really Denzel.

Cloud got up and sighed as he really didn't have the energy in him to fight again. "Vincent, Cid, go look for Marlene. I'll take care of this." He turned to look at Denzel and said, "I'm not going to hold back anymore."

Denzel smiled and said, "Good. That'll make it all the more worth it when I slice you into pieces."

Cloud went on the offensive and Denzel retaliated with his sword. The fight with Sephiroth had tired him more than he thought it had. Denzel was quickly gaining the upper hand using martial arts and the dual bladed katana. Cloud was surprised at how effortless it was for Denzel to fight at the level he was. More than once Cloud was forced to take a blade out of the assembly of Tsuragi to catch a blow from Denzel. What surprised him most was that Denzel's sword could also separate into two swords.

Cloud tried to figure out a tactic that would work and could only think of one last skill of his. He hoped he had the energy for it as he swung the flat of his blade at Denzel and sent him skyward. Cloud summoned up the last of his magic as he jumped into the sky after Denzel. The Omni-Slash skill was one Cloud rarely used as it drained him for weeks afterward.

He swung Tsuragi in an arc and all the blades separated and surrounded Denzel. Cloud could feel the drain of the magic as he flash stepped to each sword and attacked Denel with each blade. The last attack came from above and as Cloud landed he caught the main blade of Tsuragi as the rest rained down in a circle.

Denzel landed roughly on the ground, still alive. He stood on shaking legs as he leveled his sword and pointed it at Cloud. His eyes had gone back to their original color as he dropped to his knees.

Cloud slowly walked over and said, "Are you alright Denzel?"

Denzel smiled and said, "What are you talking about?"

Cloud blinked and said, "You must be half dead after that fight."

Denzel stared at him and said, "What fight? What are you talking about Cloud?"

"I just fought you and barely won. How can you not remember that?"

"No. I've been sitting here on the ground the whole time tied to my own sword. You just walked up and passed out." Denzel said as he tried to pull his sword out of the ground.

Cloud wondered if it really had been just a dream and helped Denzel out. As he did he asked, "Do you know where Marlene is?"

"Yeah. She's back in Edge with Tseng. I got one of the local orphans to stand in for her so that if Genesis did drop by and kidnap us he'd only get one of us. I still feel like I failed though. Genesis handed me my butt."

Cloud sighed in relief at the news that Marlene was safe. Cid and Vincent returned with the girl Denzel had mentioned in tow. All the loose ends had been tied up save for checking on Marlene and Red XIII. Still Cloud was wondering about the fight with Denzel. Wondering if it had been real of just a hallucination.

Two months later everyone had gathered together again. Cid and Shera sat on one couch with Reno and Tseng. Aiko sat in Yuffie's lap and Vincent sat next to them. Red XIII occupied the middle of the floor with a new Cait Sith snuggled up against him. Reeve was there, laughing as Barret told him about the telling off he had given Denzel the other week for catching him kissing Marlene. Denzel and Marlene sat together with Elena and Tifa on another couch. Vincent and Cloud were both standing near the bar as everyone was talking about what had happened since that day in Nibelheim.

Aiko had taken over two weeks to finally recover enough to wake up and another week and a half before she could go back to Wutai with Yuffie. The two had gotten married as had been the plan. Yuffie was now the leader of Wutai and as such could rarely leave the town anymore.

Elena and Tifa were still together. Tifa said that the two of them were considering marrying but they wanted to wait and give the relationship time.

Reno had retained being his normal, reckless self. Not one to settle down he kept it a secret from everyone if he was seeing anyone which Tseng proved false anyway leading to a lighthearted scuffle.

Barret was thinking about moving back to Edge. Part of the reason was so that he could help out Cloud with Strife Delivery Services but the other part was so that Marlene could be closer to Denzel and still be able to see her dad once in a while.

Red XIII was going back to Cosmo Canyon to keep an eye on the planet and to continue Seto and Bugenhagen's legacies. Cait Sith was going to tag along just so Red XIII had someone who could contact the outside world once in a while.

Vincent's news was the saddest. He still wanted to free Lucrecia from the crystal she was in. He told everyone that while he wouldn't stay completely out of touch, it was more than likely they wouldn't see him again.

Cloud smiled as he listened to everyone tell their various stories. It was always like this when the world was at peace and they all got together for a day. He got everyone's attention and said, "You know. I think that everyone here has learned something this time around. Some of us have learned to let go and others have learned what it means to be loved. Others have learned that the light is easy to find if you just look hard enough. I know I've learned a few of those during this. I'm just really happy we all made it out of this alright. Scars fade and injuries heal but the memories of this won't. I don't think we'll ever forget each other even if we do never see each other ever again after this."

"Well said Cloud." said Tifa. "It's weird when you think about it but if it hadn't been for Sephiroth, none of this would have ever happened. Some things would have happened eventually but I don't think I would have realized I loved Elena without all of this happening. Yuffie and Aiko would still probably be only dating if not for this. Denzel and Marlene would probably only just be getting together by now. So many things that wouldn't be if not for this."

Yuffie kissed Aiko before saying, "You're partially right Tifa but when I was given Wutai I had to marry. It was part of dad's rules."

Denzel also spoke up and said, "You are right that I wouldn't have asked Marlene out so soon. Barret scares the hell out of me."

"You're damn right I do. You best be good to my Marlene or I'll kick ya hard enough to send ya into Midgar." Barret said with a smile.

Everyone laughed at the antics of Barret and the conversations ensued once more. Cloud had a feeling that everything would be peaceful for a long time to come.

The swirl of green light encompassed Sephiroth as he talked with Angeal about everything. After listening to Sephiroth's tale Angeal said, "You know. Staying here really isn't all that bad. At least the Lifestream didn't see you as evil for whatever reason. You probably redeemed your evil somewhere along the line."

"What about Genesis? Why is he not here with us telling us his tale?" Sephiroth said, finally accepting the fact that he would be a part of the Lifestream forever instead of just being a visitor.

Angeal's ghost like form shrugged as he said, "Maybe he was like President Shinra and was so corrupt that his soul looks like nothing more than rags. We all fade from the Lifestream in time anyway, he'll just fade faster."

"Maybe I really should stay here. Just a little while longer. I still haven't told you everything."

"I'll enjoy listening. Who knows? Maybe I'll learn something." Angeal said as they drifted through the Lifestream.

Cloud smiled to himself as he felt the darkness in his heart soften slightly. Things wouldn't ever really be the same but a sense of normalcy was returning to life.

496 years later. Red XIII is running along the ground of Cosmo Canyon with his offspring as they head to the cliff where the statue of his father Seto still stands. As he reaches the top he lets out a roar as do his descendants. The view of Midgar is different now. What was once just metal and smog is slowly turning into a lush forest. As Red XIII watched a flock of birds fly over the city he looks at the two children with him and says, "Would the two of you like to hear a story?"

One of them looks up at him and says, "Is it interesting father? I kind of don't like the boring ones you've been telling us."

Red XIII smiles and says, "Oh it is interesting alright. I should know. I was there when it happened. Sit down and relax. This tale is as old as I am. Let's see...this one starts back over five-hundred years ago with a company called Shinra, a group called AVALANCHE and a boy named Cloud."

The two sit there mesmerized as Red XIII dives back into memories and a story so unreal that had he not lived it himself he would have taken it for a children's fairy tale. The words Cloud said the last time Red XIII had seen him echo in his mind as he tells the story. "We're not going to forget each other or what happened. All we have to do is look back and remember and through the story telling we can become legends that go throughout time."

(Author's note: Damn. This story quite literally wrote itself. I just put the words to paper and Lucian helped guide the story along with useful points of interest and possibilities. I hope everyone who has read this enjoyed it. I don't think I personally am going to return to Final Fantasy 7 after this. I can't really find a reason to do so after this. Oh sure there are loose ends and stuff but that's the fun part of it all with 7. Not everything has to be tied tightly at the end. This story can't really have an end and I'm not about to try and give it one. Just another link in the timeline forward. Read and enjoy.)

**Shinobi of the Onyx Sands & Lucian Raidijiu**


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